Young Blood
by MsRenai21
Summary: The Others, a species evolved from Humanity that can control one of many elements. In an attempt to prove the Others mean Humans no harm, Armin Arlelt left his friends behind to see the outside world. Now, Jean Kirstein leaves the comfort of Trost's cage, perate to find his friend and bring him home. What he finds is that Humans and Others have a common enemy.
1. Breaking Free

"You're in the tree again? Really?"

"Yeah, I am. So fuck off already, Marlowe."

The man at the base of the weeping willow, Marlowe, sighs as he looks up at the mayor's son who is high up in the tree.

"Young master, please, your father wishes to see you. So I suggest that you behave like an adult and speak with him."

"I'm fucking seventeen."

"You'll be eighteen within a week. You've had plenty of time to learn how to be a proper, mature adult," Marlowe spits out, clearly frustrated with the younger boy in the tree. "Come down right now. Your father is waiting for you and he is not to be kept waiting for long. He's a very busy man and you're wasting his time."

"Can't you see I'm busy as well up here? Or wait, I'm sorry. You probably can't see past that big nose of yours."

"_Jean Kirstein._ Get down from this tree right now or I will forcibly remove you," Marlowe shouts up to him, grabbing onto the lowest branch and hoisting himself up. Jean moves quickly from his sitting position to a standing one, making sure to be cautious and maintain his balance on the branch.

"Don't you fucking come up here. I'll push your ass back down," Jean warns Marlowe as he continues climbing the branches of the old tree.

"I am your personal guard and it is my duty to ensure that you are safe _and _that you do as you are told. I will not go back to the mayor empty-handed."

"No! Fuck you!" Jean screams as he moves quickly to another branch, almost slipping in his haste.

Marlowe hurries up, skillfully climbing each branch in his pursuit for Jean. Once high enough, he reaches out and manages to grab onto Jean's ankle, holding him in place. Jean digs his fingers into the bark of the tree, trying desperately to keep himself in place.

"I'm not going to talk to my dad. I know exactly what he wants to say to me."

"You're just being a spoiled little brat. Get over yourself and face your problems. Running away and hiding up in trees is no way to behave, especially since you're in such a high political position."

Jean growls, muttering under his breath about how politics are worthless. Sighing, he gives up his little fight with Marlowe, allowing the older man to bring him down to his level. Marlowe snaps his fingers and points to the ground below them, silently telling Jean to climb down first and stay put.

He carefully steps down on each branch, making sure not to make any wrong steps as he descends. Jean looks above him and furrows his brows as Marlowe follows close behind.

"You're an annoyance. I don't know why my father even bothered with you," Jean snaps.

"Because I'm good at my job and good at keeping the peace. At least I'm doing something to help society," Marlowe retorts, watching Jean closely.

Jean hops down onto the grass with a small thud, followed by Marlowe. He brushes dust off from his black vest as he waits for his loyal guard to push him along. Marlowe points his finger ahead of them and they walk off the lavish estate not too far from their current location.

They enter through the large, glass doors and into a side room that leads to the main foyer. Once there, Jean and Marlowe are greeted by a tall, older man pacing around in a circle.

"Jean! There you are. Where in the world have you been? You missed your lessons with Levi…_again_." Jean ignores him and picks his hand, clearly frustrated that his relaxation time was cut short.

Marlowe stands up straight in the mayor's presence and clears his throat, ready to speak. "I do apologize, sir, but I found young Jean out in the tree again." The mayor nods understandingly, waving his hand dismissively to Marlowe. Marlowe bows his head slightly and turns around to walk off, giving Jean a side glance as he passes him.

Once Marlowe exits through the same doors he entered, the mayor sighs and looks at his son, face full of disappointment.

"Jean, what are you doing? What's been going on in that mind of yours lately? You've been skipping classes, running away, and getting even more irritable than usual." He places a broad hand on Jean's shoulder, coaxing him to look up. "Jean, look at me."

He looks up to his father, completely annoyed, and says, "Nothing's been going on. Just leave me alone and stop sending Big Nose after me all the time."

"Jean, stop it. I've been watching you closely." The mayor looks at Jean sternly, narrowing his eyes. "You stare out far beyond the wall and the forcefield. What are y-" The mayor stops speaking abruptly, eyes widening in horror as he looks down at his son. Jean's eye flick away, unable to keep looking at his father's.

"I'm just…I just hate being stuck here. It feels like a cage."

"Jean. Listen to me very carefully. Don't you _dare_ go around thinking like that Arlelt boy you used to be friends with. He left the safety of Trost and hasn't returned _for three years._ The Others probably got to him by now."

He takes his hand off of Jean's shoulder and crosses his arms. Jean backs away slightly and clenches his fists, ready for another disastrous argument with his father. They've been happening more and more frequently as Jean began shirking away from his responsibilities. The mayor keeps a stern gaze on his son before sighing in defeat.

"Levi's waiting for you. Go." He points to his left the main set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Jean growls and thumps off, leaving his father behind without another word.

Jean stomps down the long, winding halls of the mansion, passing by old paintings of the Kirstein family and other items of vast wealth. His lessons with Levi are normally held a few rooms away from their enormous library. Jean could always tell when he drawing close to the classroom by the sudden smell of old books at the end of the hall.

He often associated that smell with an impending sense of doom.

Jean comes to an old, wooden door, much different from the newer doors that were just put in place. It looks like some of the workers were lazy, or they just didn't want to be anywhere near Levi. Jean would sympathize, but Levi's just more than a teacher to him; he's almost been like a second father to him.

He reaches for the knob, turning it quickly, and enters into the tiny room. It's a cramped room with one large desk, that's obviously Levi's, and a smaller table just a few feet away. Lining the walls are bookshelves crammed with pages and books, all organized alphabetically. Not a single edge is out of place and everything is aligned perfectly.

"It took you long enough, Jean. Where the hell have you been?"

Jean rolls his eyes as Levi speaks up, somewhat thankful that the smaller man is not facing him.

"Been busy." Jean shrugs and takes his usual place at the smaller table.

"Busy hiding in your room and in local plant life?" Levi sighs, finally turning around the face the younger boy.

Jean props his elbow up on the table, resting his head in his hand, and watches Levi carefully. Levi stares back intently, causing Jean to eventually drop his gaze.

"Well, in your absence, I do hope you studied. What are the four main human settlements on the continent?" Levi asks, opening up a thick book and smoothing out the yellowed pages. Jean looks around the room, racking his brain for the obvious answers.

Sadly, Levi was never known for his patience and blurts out a response before Jean has the time to answer. "You're living in one of them now."

"Okay, so Trost is one." Jean throws a hand up and lets it fall limp onto the table. "Uhh, what else is there…fuck, I guess Stohess?" He continues looking over to Levi, hoping for some relief from the question. He flinches slightly from Levi's hardened gaze.

Levi clears his throat, speaking firmly, "Trost is the Southern capital, Mitras is the Northern capital, Shinganshina is the Eastern capital, and finally, Stohess is the Western capital. Honestly, for a future leader, it should have been embedded into your brain already."

"What's the point of even knowing that if all I'd have to do is send them letters and shit? It's not like I can waltz right on over to those settlements. Not with the Others running around rampant."

Levi slams his hand down on the desk, causing Jean to jump slightly, before taking a deep breath and calming himself down. "They're called Elementals. You know this, Jean." Jean pauses for a moment, watching Levi carefully, and slowly relaxes in his seat. "The Others, as the commoners call them, is a derogatory term for the species and honestly, it's quite lazy."

"S-Sorry…" Jean speaks quietly.

"Now tell me all the Elementals currently known. Come on, this review is only supposed to last a few minutes; we have a lot to cover."

Jean stutters, "Fucking, I don't remember, Levi. I'm still trying to figure out why it's so important to learn about the Oth- Elementals. Aren't they evil and bent on killing humans?"

Levi pinches the bridge of his nose, inhaling sharply. "_That_ is the reason why I'm trying to teach you. Misinformation is dangerous, even more so than not knowing at all. Yes, there were wars, but Elementals and Humans haven't interacted ever since the forcefield was brought up. How long ago was that?"

"I think around a hundred years ago?" Jean turns his gaze away from Levi, looking at a few maps rolled up in the corner.

"Ninety two years, to be exact, but I'll give that to you. Now tell me the Elementals that exist as far as we know. Start with the first two that appeared."

Jean gets off of the table and leans back in his chair, mulling over the answers. He crosses his arms over his chest and bounces his knee up and down.

"What are they, like, Light and Darkness?"

"Light and _Shadow_. Don't mess up that name; it is incredibly important." Levi neatly rolls his sleeves up to his elbows and reaches to his left for his glasses. He sets them on his face neatly and sets them into place firmly before twining his fingers together and looking at Jean. "What are the next four?"

Jean groans loudly, lifting his hands up to rub his eyes. "Can we just start today's lesson? You're torturing me here."

The room is filled with a thick silence as Levi looks over Jean, failing to conceal his ever growing annoyance with the younger boy. He adjusts his glasses swiftly, hiding the bold creases under his eyes, revealing his apparent lack of sleep.

"All right, fine. Water, Fire, Earth and Wind. I'll quiz you on all six of those tomorrow as well as the four settlements. Go get some damn paper already." As Jean stumbles out of the chair in search for some paper to take notes, Levi chides, "And if you feel the need to go hide in trees again, at least bring the notes with you."

Jean swears.

Passing through the well guarded gate and not giving Marlowe another glance, Jean makes his way down the path to the marketplace of Trost. Marlowe simply scoffs as the mayor's son walks by but makes no effort to engage in conversation.

Not that Jean would even stop to acknowledge it.

Jean keeps his hands clenched in his pockets, kicking up dirt as continues down the trail to his destination: his friend Sasha's house. He had agreed to meet up with her in the afternoon to help her settle into her new home. She was ecstatic to finally leaving her father's home to be able to live on her own.

So excited that she begged Jean to help and come see the new place. Jean never really learned to say no to her, especially when she'd drop everything to accommodate him whenever he needed help. Jean always wonders how he was even able to make friends.

Friends like Armin. The one that ran away from the safety of the settlement to explore the outside world.

The outside world filled with the Others.

Jean's left hand fiddles with two small stones in his pocket, pulling them out quickly to gaze at them once more. He only has two but he's never seen the likes of them before in Trost. The first stone is cool to the touch and is a bright, electric blue with a smooth, matte surface. The second one feels warm and is a blazing crimson color with a smooth and glossy surface. It shines magnificently as Jean holds it up to the sun.

These were Armin's parting gifts to him when he left three years ago.

"_Please, take good care of these, Jean. They__'__re very important.__"_

Jean never understood why he put so much emphasis on their importance. They're just unnaturally colored stones, right? For all Jean knows, they could have been painted or made artificially.

But the red stone retains its warmth no matter what.

"Where the hell did you go?" Jean whispers to himself, staring intently at the stones. He sighs, looking up at the clear blue sky, and squints as he catches sight of the sun. As he looks up, the forcefield flickers slightly, causing small ripples to flow through. It's fairly easy for all the citizens to forget that there's a powerful forcefield covering the entirety of the settlement, unless someone were to watch it closely and see the ripples.

Jean's taken out of his thoughts abruptly as he bumps into a random bystander. Before he can offer a quick apology, the man pushes him away, muttering profanities under his breath. Jean growls, spitting out an insult to the man instead and stomps off.

The marketplace is loud and bustling with all sorts of everyday, ordinary people running their shops or running errands for their families. Sasha picked a small apartment in the heart of the town to move into and Jean curses her for making him mingle with the commoners.

He frowns when he remembers that the only friends he _could_ make are commoners. Where did he go wrong?

Jean barely dodges a collision with a man tending to his cart and awkwardly stumbles to the side of a building, trying his best to stay out of everyone's way. It's nearly impossible, considering the ever growing population of Trost.

Being born and raised in the largest Human settlement was the worst thing to ever happen to Jean Kirstein.

He rounds the corner of the building and finds himself in the more open central square, where the roads transition from the plain, dusty earth to faded burgundy cobblestones. Towards the center of the square lies a large fountain, spouting out water from the two statues in the middle of it. The water flows gracefully from the statues' hands into the small pool below. Jean heads straight to the fountain upon seeing Sasha sitting at one of the stone benches, looking into the fountain. Her thick ponytail is over her shoulder, obstructing her view of the world around her.

Jean smirks, sneaking up to Sasha, and roughly puts his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump in fright. She catches herself before falling into fountain, grasping tightly at the rough stones. Jean stumbles back, laughing obnoxiously as Sasha whirls on him with widened brown eyes.

"Jean! Don't sneak up on me like that! Honestly, I don't even know how you managed that with your clunky footsteps."

Jean dodges an angry swat from her, continuing his loud, raucous laughter.

"Aren't you supposed to be moving? Or are you saving all the heavy lifting for me?" He calms down, wiping tears from his eyes and clutching at his stomach. Sasha rolls her eyes and loops her arm though his, gently leading him across the square.

"And what if that's exactly what I'm doing?"

"Then you're an awful human being and I'm leaving." Jean starts to step away slightly before Sasha tugs him back to her, gripping his arm tighter. She gives him a wide, toothy smile and hurries back along the dusty roads towards her new apartment.

"You know, if you're moving out to get away from your father, why are you moving to the apartment complex over? He can still see you." Sasha reaches up to ruffle a bit of Jean's hair, effectively shutting him up as he spouts a few protests and rakes his fingers over his hair roughly.

"Be grateful, Jeanny boy. At least you have less distance to move my things."

As they continue walking, arm in arm, they pass by even more citizens hurrying through the streets. Among them is a fit young man with golden blond hair and thick sideburns. Jean awkwardly keeps his gaze away from the man while Sasha blatantly points him out.

"Hey! Isn't that your old boyfriend, Thomas?" Jean throws his hand over her mouth quickly, muffling her voice and walking faster.

"Sash, will you shut up? I can't have the whole town knowing the mayor's son almost fucked another guy." Jean's golden eyes look in every direction but Thomas' and he reaches down for his collar in a poor attempt to hide his face from the other male.

Sasha groans, letting Jean act however he wants. "You're being such a baby. Honestly, you two were cute together, why'd you break up?"

"Shhh! He might come over and talk to us!" He hurries Sasha along, rushing past where Thomas is standing. As soon as they're out of sight, Jean lets out a sigh of relief, wiping his brow carefully. Sasha takes her arm from Jean's and turns to look at him seriously.

"So was it because you were a prick to him or did he not suck your dick properly?"

"SASHA!"

Sasha erupts into a giggle fit, taking a few steps back from an angry but blushing Jean. He frowns, feeling the heat in his cheeks increase tenfold as random citizens give them questioning glances. Jean clenches his fists and stares daggers at Sasha as she poorly attempts to compose herself.

"O-Oh my god, Jean, your f-face! Your face is priceless right now!"

"Let's just hurry up to your damn house so I can fucking leave."

Jean stretches his entire body before landing ungracefully onto the small wooden chair in Sasha's new living room. He stretches his arms out and cracks his knuckles sickeningly before letting out a tired sigh.

"Why do you have so much shit?" Jean mumbles from his spot, refusing to move any more muscles unless absolutely necessary. "I mean, you even had a fucking crate of potatoes! _A crate!_"

Sasha sticks her tongue out at her friend, settling herself down on a few of the aforementioned crates. She pats some dust and dirt off of her long, brown skirt and props her feet up on a small pile of books.

"I snatched them from my dad; he didn't need them anymore," she says with hint of mischief in her voice. "But I really appreciate your help, Jeanny boy." Jean waves her off, not bothering to respond to her. He instead opts to looking over the tiny apartment. The kitchen and living room are connected and the only two separate rooms are the bedroom and bathroom. The floors are a dark chestnut color and seem to have been well kept.

Jean begins tapping his foot against the wooden floor, trying to fill the silence but not able to think of words or a conversation. The stones and Armin are back on Jean's mind, just as they have been for weeks on end. Armin was one of Jean's best childhood friends; of course he couldn't forget him so easily.

But his thoughts have been completely preoccupied with his friend and his parting words. He vividly recalls the short blond boy, with eyes rivaling the deep blues of the ocean, hurriedly placing the stones into Jean's palm and running off. Jean reached for him, chased after him, but couldn't reach him before he slipped past the forcefield. Jean was only fifteen at the time and terrified of the outside world.

He couldn't bring his legs to move any farther. He stayed, paralyzed with fear, as his young friend ran off before him.

Jean is brought out of his thoughts by Sasha placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He blinks at her a few times and brings his hands up to his eyes to rub them thoroughly. He didn't realize he was clenching tight to the stones in his pockets until they hit the floor with a loud clatter.

"Shit!" Jean shouts, dropping to the floor and scrambling to pick up them up.

Sasha watches him, concern turning to sadness as she kneels down to his level. She offers to wipe the stones clean for him and he slowly hands them to her.

"You can't stop thinking about Armin, huh?"

Jean crosses his legs and remains on the floor, carefully watching as Sasha cleans off the blue stone. "No, I can't. I just…feel so guilty for not stopping him or at least, not _following _him."

"Jean, don't beat yourself up over this," she speaks softly, handing back the stones. "There wasn't anything you could do, and besides, what would have done if you followed him? You would have rushed off with nothing in hand, no strategies in mind."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd lecture me like my father would." Sasha rolls her eyes at the statement, remaining in her kneeling position.

"Well, I'm just saying. What could you honestly do? You'd send the entire settlement into a fuss because you're gone, your dad and Levi would be in hysterics, and overall, it would be such a bad idea." Jean keeps his eyes on the floor, eyebrows furrowed and frowning. "Jean, I'm not trying to put you down. I'm your friend and I want to tell you the truth."

The corner of Jean's lips twitches a bit before returning to his frown. "I appreciate that. Too bad you're saying it for the wrong thing."

Sasha shrugs. "Jean, you're a realistic guy. You, of all people, should know that you've done all you can." She pats his shoulder and stands up, smiling brightly in an attempt to change the mood. "So are you staying for dinner? The fiancé should be home soon, so you two can catch up."

Jean pockets the stones and mimics her actions, standing up as well. "All right, fine. You owe me anyway after the torment you put me through today," he says with a smirk.

Sasha lightly swats his arm before turning on her heel to the kitchen and looking through some crates for her cooking pans.

"Thanks so much for helping her, Jean. I'm glad it was you and not me," Connie says cheerfully as he reclines back in his chair, patting his stomach. He throws a smirk over to his brooding friend before smiling to his fiancée. "Thanks for the dinner, Sash. I guess you're expecting me to help you unpack, yeah?"

"Oh, of course, little man. You're not getting out of this so easily." Connie grumbles while Sasha gathers their dishes. Jean leans on the table with his head in his hand and chuckles loudly at Connie.

"You're already a whipped man. It's all downhill from here." Jean makes a gesture with his finger, going in a downward spiral as he whistles.

"One day you'll be like this, Jean. Then I'll get you back for all the times you mocked me."

Jean scoffs. "Yeah, as if I'll do that. There's no one around here good enough."

"I thought Mina was pretty nice."

"Oh god, not her." Jean shudders, thinking back to his brief time with Mina. "She was too loud and spunky for me. Not to mention, kind of weird."

Jean crosses his legs and turns his gaze towards the window across the room, looking out at the twilight where the last moment of the fading red sun is covered by the wall surrounding the settlement. The only way to ever see the true sunset is to be free from the cage. Jean finds himself wondering if Armin is out there, safe, looking as the evening transitions to night.

"Hey, Jean, you all right?" Jean's taken out of his trance as Connie waves his hand a few inches from his face. He pushes his hand away and sighs.

"Yeah, I'm good. What were you saying?"

"We were talking about you getting laid finally."

"Fuck face."

"Horsie."

"You son of a bitch!" Jean shouts, standing up from his seat. Connie jumps out of his chair, knocking it over, and quickly snaps into a fighting stance. Jean has his fist ready to strike but Sasha comes in between the both of them.

"Hey! Stop it! Connie apologize to Jean!"

"But I didn't do anything!" He protests. Sasha gives him a glare and he sighs, huffing out a very basic apology.

"Now you, Jean. Apologize for calling him names."

"Okay, _mother._" The two boys settle back down in their seats, grumbling about the other as Sasha watches them carefully. Within minutes, Connie snaps back to normal as if nothing had just transpired. Jean, on the other hand, remains ticked off and frowns at Connie's sudden optimism. For once, however, Jean decides to let it go, worried about making Connie too angry to help him with his request.

A request that he just remembered he needs to ask.

"Hey, Connie, I need to speak to you outside." Both Sasha and Connie look up at the sudden request, eyebrows raised high. He turns to Sasha and she nods her head, extremely curious. Jean gestures his head towards the front door and gets out of the seat to walk over to it with Connie right behind him.

They walk out of the apartment and down the stairs, leaving the complex. A cool breeze rolls by, ruffling Jean's hair as he turns to Connie.

"What's going on with you? That was kinda out of the blue?"

Jean sighs, raking his thin fingers through his hair, searching for the right words.

"I need your help. It's urgent, Connie, and you're the only one I can really trust to actually help me," Jean says quickly in a hushed whisper. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, keeping them shielded against the wind and coolness of the night.

"Wow, it's been awhile since you've asked me to do something behind Sasha's back. I'm guessing…she didn't like your idea?"

"I'm leaving Trost. I'm going to find Armin."

Connie takes a step back, completely and utterly in shock from Jean's outrageous plan.

"You're…you're joking, yeah?"

Jean's solemn look confirms his fears. Connie puts a hand to his head and takes a few steps back, making sure to not say anything as a couple of people pass by them. He looks back and forth between Jean's hardened eyes and the street lamp that shines just overhead.

Once they're alone again, Connie speaks up, "…What do I need to do?"

"Meet me at the old willow tree near the mansion before you go to work. I'll need some help getting over the wall."

"I mean, Jean, are you really sure about this?" Connie gives his friend a sympathetic, almost pleading, look. "Do you know how much of an uproar this'll cause?"

"Yes, yes, _I know_. But I can't…just sit around and wonder if he's alive. I need to see it for myself." Jean clenches his fists, stones in hand, and looks down to the ground. "And if he's okay, then I'll come back. I'm not leaving forever."

The two are silent as Connie processes Jean's words and mulls over them carefully. A gentle breeze flutters by, filling the tense silence with a soft howl. Connie gives a long, exasperated sigh and holds out his hand to Jean, giving in to his need to help his friend. Jean takes his hand in his firmly, signaling their agreement.

"Just come back in one piece, okay? Sasha'll kill me if she finds out I helped you escape _and_ you didn't come back."

"It'll be for a little while. I'll be back insulting that bald head of yours soon enough," Jean says with a smirk. Connie smiles back.

"See you later, cowboy."

Jean, feeling giddy and relieved to have some help, laughs off the nickname and pats Connie on the shoulder, heading back to his home.

Only four more people to deal with this night.

Jean isn't looking forward to dealing with his two sets of parents.

"You better wipe your goddamn shoes before you set one foot in here, so help me God, Jean."

"Hi Levi, great to see you're in a good mood tonight." He kicks off his shoes, leaving the dusty brown pair by the door. He wipes off his hands and any extra dirt on his pants before stepping out into Levi's cozy and tidy living room.

Erwin, who's seated in a navy blue recliner, looks up from his book and smiles warmly as Jean enters. "Oh, good evening, Jean. How are you?"

Jean offers him a small wave, returning the smile. "I'm pretty good, Erwin. Levi obviously wasn't too mad at me today, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here." He chuckles, not daring to glance at Levi's direction. Levi quietly sneaks out of the room to finish his cleaning in the kitchen. Jean follows after him, silently hoping that Erwin won't eavesdrop on what he'll say next. He almost wished that the tall blond man wasn't home for the night.

"_Dad must__'__ve let him off early,__"_ Jean thinks to himself, passing a quick glance behind him. When he turns around, he's cautious not to bump into the small, off-white chest of drawers. As much as Levi keeps everything spic and span, the chest of drawers always seems like the most unfitting thing in the room. It's rough to the touch and covered with cracks where the paint has chipped off.

Despite its horrendous appearance, what's on top of it is what matters the most. Levi's prized possessions are photographs and small knick-knacks of his family and friends. His wedding photo is the most prominent, standing in the center with an ornate golden frame. Jean always admired how handsome Erwin and Levi looked in this and especially loved how its only one of two pictures where Levi is actually smiling.

The other picture is of Levi holding Jean as a toddler. Even if he was a chubby, slobbering baby, Levi was always happy to hold him. Jean reaches for the picture to get a closer look at Levi's smile.

"Even after almost eighteen years of me telling you to keep your grubby hands to yourself, you still don't listen." Jean jumps back from the chest of drawers immediately, his back ramrod straight as he slowly turns over to face his death. Levi stands before him with his arms crossed but doesn't look too angry — just mildly annoyed. He gestures for Jean to follow and turns on his heel.

"Levi, there's a few things I need to ask you."

"If you want the answers for tomorrow's quiz then forget it."

"No. No, I need…" Jean pauses, gathering the words he needs. "I need to know if you've taught me everything there is about the outside world."

Levi looks at him skeptically and stays silent. His eyes shine for a brief second before he snaps, "Whatever stupid idea you have about leaving, _forget it_. Your place is in this settlement."

Jean throws his arms up, furrowing his brows, and glares down at Levi.

"Now why the hell are you so concerned? You're the one who told me that Oth-Elementals aren't bad at all! You used to travel the world yourself! Hell, even Erwin goes back and forth between settlements and comes back home without so much as a scratch. Why are you opposed to me leaving?" He huffs after he's finished yelling, disregarding the fact that Erwin can now hear every word without even trying.

"Jean, _don__'__t you dare raise your voice at me_," Levi growls, his voice dangerous and low. "As far as I'm concerned, you're still a child and I'm under obligation to make sure you don't do anything stupid, especially a choice that you'll _regret_."

Jean grits his teeth, glaring daggers at Levi. He's still wary and intimidated of Levi despite his aggressive display.

"You don't understand. You don't fucking understand. My friend is out there and I have to…no, I _need_ to see him. I need to try and beg him to come home."

"He's not coming home, end of story. There, I just saved you the disappointment."

"Why aren't you on my side!? You were always there for me! Why are you against me now?" Jean's shaking. He almost never argues this hard with Levi; it's something completely foreign to him.

"I am on your side because I'm looking out for you. You're just a stubborn little brat who doesn't even know how the Human world works, let alone how the Elemental world works."

Unbeknown to Jean, Erwin has quietly entered the tense kitchen, hoping to quell their argument.

"Jean, Levi's only looking out for your wellbeing," Erwin starts, pausing to let Jean calm himself after being startled. "The outside world is safe but to an extent. In my last few jobs out there, I've heard many rumors of a Shadow uprising." Jean glares back into Erwin's metallic blue eyes, already feeling a miserable defeat.

"And I've told you how dangerous Shadows are, Jean. This goddamn forcefield was built to keep _them_ out specifically."

Jean growls lowly, looking back to the dark hardwood floor, barely illuminated but the dim lights in the room. He crosses his arms, mimicking Levi, and slowly looks back to meet his hardened gaze.

"Your friend Armin is safe and healthy. He'll be protected by whatever group he settles with from the Shadows. So leave it be and stop thinking about him," Levi snaps sharply, his tone final.

Jean keeps his head down in defeat, completely in disbelief that his second father for once refuses to agree with him. He thought that Levi of all people would understand his situation. He's the one who teaches Jean about the outside world with such enthusiasm and passion, yet he's denying Jean a chance to even see it.

"So, Jean? What do you want to do now?"

"I'm going home."

"Erwin, go with him to make sure he doesn't run away."

Erwin nods and walks over to Jean, patting him on the shoulder with a broad hand. "Hey, it's getting late. I'm sure your father and mother must be worried as well."

Jean leaves Levi and Erwin's little cottage feeling completely betrayed and even more eager to prove them wrong.

Jean paces through the main foyer and up the stairs of the mansion, slightly relieved to finally be home. He still has his mother and father to speak to as well as packing for his journey. He sighs, yearning the comfort of his bed and a good night's rest.

He's checked the rooms his father frequents, such as his study, the library, and even the conference room. He must be settling in bed with his mother right now. Jean needs to hurry down the hall to the bedrooms before they fall asleep.

He makes it to the plain, white door and knocks on it three times. The door opens up soon after and Jean is greeted with his father, rubbing his tired golden eyes.

"Oh, Jean-bo? Did you just get back?"

"Yeah, I was with Sasha helping her move. Can I, uh, come in?"

"Yes, of course." The mayor opens the door fully, stepping to the side to let Jean enter. Jean quietly thanks him and walks in, finding his place on the small beige sofa located a few feet from the bed. As he enters, his mother smiles at him from the bed, her honey brown hair let down over her shoulders.

"Hello, Jean-bo, how are you feeling sweetheart?" she asks him lovingly as he sits down. Jean offers his mother a warm smile as the mayor takes his spot in bed next to her.

"I'm all right, Mama. Sorry to bother you two so late."

"Jean, you know you're welcome here whenever you need something," his father reassures him, wrapping an arm around his wife and holding her close. She giggles, nuzzling into his warm embrace.

"Reggie, our son is in here. Wait until later for that."

Jean can't help but smile and laugh with them. Watching his parents interact and be affectionate with one another always helped him calm down. Jean sighs and clears his throat, ready to speak.

"So, uh, I just came in to tell Dad that…I'm sorry about earlier. And about that past few weeks." Jean looks down, his smile fading. "I must've been pretty annoying."

Reginald scoffs at his son's response. "I think you mean insufferable. You snapped at me and your poor mother. You constantly ran away from your guard, Marlowe, and you skipped out on Levi's classes. You've been avoiding everyone."

Jean hangs his head low, silently wishing his father wouldn't list off all his wrongdoings. Wasn't it enough to just vaguely apologize?

"I know, I know I was a little sh-brat. But I'm really sorry, okay? I promise I'll…take all this politics and education seriously from now on. I'm going to be an adult in a week, yeah?"

Reginald gives his son an approving look, smiling at Jean. "As long as you understand what you did wrong and are willing to fix it, I'm willing to forgive and work with you. Thank you, Jean."

"Honey, it's getting late now. You should head to bed."

Reginald chuckles. "Cosette, dear, the boy's becoming a man and you enforce a bedtime on him." Cosette gives him a side glance before opening her arms up invitingly for Jean. He gets up from the sofa and walks to the bed, giving his mother a tight hug. She kisses his head lovingly as he holds onto her.

After he lets go, Jean rounds the bed to his father's side and gives him a hug as well. Reginald reciprocates, patting Jean on the back.

"Good night, son."

"G'night, Mama. G'night, Daddy."

It's been a long time since Jean referred to his father like that.

And it will certainly be a long time before he can do it again.

Jean sighs as he enters his bedroom, groping around for the lamp near his door. He manages to turn the knob, illuminating the room in a golden light. He stretches his back and yawns, walking over to his bed and sitting down.

Before getting too comfortable, however, Jean slowly stands back up, surveying the room for necessities. He heads to his closet, wrenching the door open, and looks inside for a bag of any kind. By some grace of God, he lays his eyes on a barely used, brown rucksack. Jean retrieves it from the bottom of the closet, throwing it onto the bed, and goes back into the closet to search for more useful items.

Within minutes, Jean emerges with a few sets of clothes and a jacket. It's the end of March, so the weather outside is still cold. It'll be a few more months until it gets warm again but Jean figures it's worth it to lug the coat around.

He hastily packs the clothes inside the rucksack, struggling to fit all of them in. Muttering a long string of profanities, Jean discards a few of his shirts, tossing them to the side. The next thing on his list is to make sure he pockets enough money with him. No matter how much Jean tries his hardest to think, he can't remember for the life of him if Levi said anything about the currency in the outside world.

_The Outside World_.

"_I__'__ll be there soon, Armin. Just wait for me.__"_

Jean has one final thing to do before retiring for the night. Seeing each of his loved ones in person wasn't enough; he has to leave them with one last proper goodbye. Jean settles down at his desk, taking out a few sheets of blank paper, and begins writing accordingly.

He begins the first sheet with "Daddy."

The second with "Mama."

And the final sheet with "Papa Levi."

Jean bites back his tears as he says goodbye to his family.

It's still dark out when Jean wakes up, slobbering on his pillow. He pushes himself up from the bed quickly and runs to the window to check for any light. Of course the wall makes it impossible to discern the location of the sun, so Jean looks up to the forcefield. He found out, long ago, that the ripples will barely reflect the light from the sun. He holds himself at the window for a few moments until a few scarcely colored ripples flow through.

"_It__'__s time.__"_

Fortunately, Jean slept in his clothes from yesterday, which gives him one less thing to worry about. Connie should be heading towards the old willow tree any moment now and he needs to act quickly.

One wrong more or one minor delay can cost him this important mission.

At least Marlowe should still be asleep. His duties won't begin for another hour at least, allowing Jean to be long gone before anyone notices. Jean turns to the bed, making it hastily and sloppily before throwing on the coat and slinging the rucksack over his shoulder. He ties on a pair of fairly new boots and stands in place, looking over his room. Jean's heart beats rapidly, adrenaline coursing through his vein as a thin layer of sweat coats his forehead.

His final task is to lay the letters he wrote the previous night down onto his bed neatly. As he lays them down, he hand lingers over the final letter, the one addressed to Levi.

"I hope you're not too mad at me," he whispers solemnly.

Jean tiptoes back to the window, looking around for the safest way to climb down. He reaches out to the wall to his left hand and gropes around until his skin comes in contact with the rough wood of the lattice and a few leaves of ivy sprouting from the vines. He tugs on it for good measure before carefully climbing out of the window. Jean grabs firmly onto the lattice and holds on briefly without moving or jostling it around.

He slowly descends until he reaches the ground safely, wiping the slick dew from his hands. Jean looks back up to his window one final time and rushes over to the willow tree.

"Jesus, Jean, are you really sure about doing this?" Connie questions in a hushed tone as he catches his breath. He looks up and down, seeing Jean packed and ready to go.

"Connie, I'm an honest man. I wouldn't have made such a declaration if I was going to chicken out. Now hurry up and help me over before I _really_ change my mind." Jean waves Connie off to the stone wall just a few feet ahead of them.

"You know this shit is like ten feet tall, right. How the hell am I going to help you get over it?"

"I'm just three inches short of six feet, Connie. All you'd have to do is lift me up all the way and I can reach it."

Connie gives him a skeptical look, not moving from his spot. He sighs deeply before bending his knees slightly and holds his palms out, making sure brace himself. Jean takes a few seconds before stepping up into Connie's hands. As he does, he steadies himself and reaches around desperately, trying to get hold on one of the stones.

"Fucking hell. For such a scrawny bastard, you weigh a fucking ton, Jean."

"Piss off, baldy. I can't help it that you have wimpy little noodle arms," Jean shouts, almost losing his grasp on the stones. His hands are just a few inches from the top of the wall. He can almost taste freedom.

Almost.

"What in the hell do you think you two are doing!?"

Jean and Connie's eyes widen in pure terror as Marlowe bellows across the field. Jean turns around for a brief second, watching as the larger man rushes over to them.

"Fuck! Jean, hurry the fuck up!"

"I-I'm trying!"

Jean grabs onto the top of the wall, thanking whatever deity he can for such a rough surface, and hoists himself up.

"RUN! GET AWAY NOW!"

Connie gulps, doing exactly as Jean commands, and sprints away along the wall from Marlowe. Marlowe snaps his head back and forth between Connie and Jean and settles on Jean, the boy he swore to protect. He gets to the wall and attempts to climb up.

"Jean! _Get down here this instant!_" Marlowe shouts in full fury.

"Fuck off, Big Nose!" And with that, Jean looks over the other side of the wall and jumps, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. His stomach drops during the fall and he lands on his side, rolling over.

The breath is knocked right from his lungs and he takes a few hazy moments recovering from the jump. Jean coughs a few times and slowly pulls himself from the ground; he's not safe just yet, especially with Marlowe on full alert.

Marlowe will run back and alert his parents. _He__'__ll run and notify Erwin and his squad. _Jean rushes forward without another moment's hesitation, getting closer and closer to the forcefield that's always kept such a cruel distance from him.

He knows its harmless. Humans can pass through freely but yet, he still feels anxious passing through. However, his adrenaline and fear of being brought back overrides the unknown and he runs straight through the forcefield.

Jean stumbles onto the ground once again, feeling lightheaded and weak. The world is a blur to him as he tries to look around but can't make out any solid shapes. Jean's sweating profusely at this point, only getting wetter as he rolls around in the morning dew.

Within a few moments, his tawny eyes can focus on the outside world before him. He rubs his eyes roughly and looks out into the horizon, seeing the first specks of lavender and gold appearing slowly.

The sunrise!

Jean grins from ear to ear, overjoyed at seeing his very first sunrise. His triumphant victory is short-lived as he's reminded that Marlowe could be anywhere at this given moment. He pushes himself off of the ground and sprints across the plains to the nearest form of shelter.

There's a thick, green forest just a mile away and that's where Jean sets his eyes on. He runs as fast as his thin legs can carry him, hoping and praying this not be the end of his journey.

Jean crosses the clearing and makes it to the forest's entrance; his lungs are burning, desperate for rest after such rigorous activity. He doubles over, hands clenched tightly onto his knees, baring white knuckles, and pants. He tries his hardest to take deep breaths, starting with shallow ones at first.

He looks over his shoulder, making sure Marlowe hasn't somehow followed him or that Erwin isn't on his way.

But he will be soon.

"I-I need to…I need to c-climb," Jean huffs out, viewing the large oak trees in front of him. "I need to get high. I need to h-hide."

He sprints further into the forest, searching for a suitable tree that he can easily climb onto. He passes by many trees, deeming them too high up to climb quickly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jean pants, panicking and running faster. As his eyes scan the forest quickly, seeing nothing but darkened blurs of blue and green, Jean's foot misses a step completely and he stumbles down an incline in the forest. He grunts and curses as he rolls down the slope, his arms and legs flailing. During his descent, the strap on his rucksack snaps off, detaching from Jean and rolling down ahead of him and into the river passing through.

Jean lands just a foot from the river, scrambling as he hears a splash in the water. He tries to reach for his rucksack, but it's too late. The rushing water of the river carries it off quickly, leaving Jean's sight within seconds.

"Y-You've…you've gotta be fucking kidding me," Jean whimpers, sitting down and taking a proper break. "Okay, Jean, you're smart. You can survive. You just have to find the nearest village…never mind that it'll be full of Elementals."

He takes many deep breaths to relax and calm himself down. Jean holds his head in his hands, racking his brain for the next move, anything to keep himself alive without having to shamefully return to Trost. If he went back now…

"No. I'm not fucking going back."

Jean stands to his feet, surveying the land before him. He needs to take this slowly and really pay attention to foreign landscape in order to avoid another mishap like this. He brushes the dust and dirt from his pants and coat and winces as he hits his thigh too hard. Jean takes a careful step forward, limping his way along the river in search of a tree.

After walking briskly for around an hour, Jean comes to a tree with low branches that's easy for climbing, especially in his condition. He reaches up, digging his fingers into the bark, and lifts himself up onto the first branch. Jean ascends swiftly, just as he had in the past as a child with the old willow tree. A pang of sadness hits his heart, remembering the home that he's leaving behind.

Once Jean is high enough, he sits down on a particularly thick branch, confident that he couldn't slip off even if he tried. From this view, Jean can see Trost just in the horizon, a few miles away. Further to his right is the sunrise. The bright yellow star has peeked over the flat landscape, lighting up the sky in its path, and changed the once dark blue hues to lighter, softer pastels with a hint of orange.

In a few minutes or so, Trost will be able to see the sunrise, and all those busy people will set up their shops or tend to their morning errands. His mother and father will wake up shortly to begin their day, always having breakfast together. On the rare occasions that Jean would wake up at this time, he would always join his parents.

Jean rests his head against the trunk of the tree and closes his eyes, enjoying the small rest. He has to stay and watch for any sign of movement from the settlement but for now, he'll take it easy.

"Is this what you first saw Armin? Was it as lovely as this?" he mutters to himself.

Jean dozes off with a sad smile painted on his lips.

Hours later, Jean awakes to the sound of birds flying past him. He clutches at his chest and frantically looks around at the unfamiliar setting. The sun is up higher than earlier and the world is lit with its blinding light. Luckily for Jean, the leaves on the trees filter the sun's light, giving his eyes adequate time to adjust.

He palms his eyes, rubbing them roughly before looking around again. All's quiet except for the occasion bird that chirps or flutters through the trees. Jean looks back out to Trost and doesn't notice any sign of commotion.

"Tch, I'm too far away to honestly see anything anyway," he grumbles, stretching his legs out before attempting to stand. He's at least twenty feet off the ground and would be damned if he were to slip right off.

Jean carefully stands from his spot and searches for the next branch to climb down to. No point in wasting any more time here if he wants to hurry and find more supplies.

His descent is smooth and every movement is expertly planned. Jean lands on the ground with a soft thud and continues along the grassy trail ahead of him. He trudges along, making no effort to silence his steps as he rustles the leaves at his feet and snaps sticks in half.

Jean keeps his arms by his side, fists clenched slightly as he prays that there'll be some sort of civilization at the opposite side of the forest. Overall, the forest is silent, save for the birds overhead and dull sound of water flowing to his right.

"That goddamned river. That fucking hill," Jean growls as he walks along, keeping his eyes straight ahead, making sure he doesn't take another wrong step.

After twenty minutes of taking an unknown path, Jean looks up as he comes up to another oak tree. He squints at it, noticing that it looks awfully familiar.

"What a second. What a fucking minute…" Jean reaches up to touch the lowest branch. It's the same height as the previous tree's branch that he climbed hours ago. Jean stares up in disbelief as he realizes it was the same tree he was at before.

He had been walking around in circles.

Jean kicks at the trunk of the tree in anger, quickly regretting his decision as he hurts his toes.

"Son of a fucking bitch! What the hell!? WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GO!?" he screams at the top of his lungs. Jean growls, opting to go in a completely different direction than last time, hoping that it won't lead him back to this same tree.

He hurries through the leaves on the forest floor, barely paying attention to any additional landmarks or for anything that he could trip over. His vision is blinded by his frustration and eagerness to get away from this place.

Jean steps too quickly onto a large pile of leaves and, before he has time to even comprehend what's happening, is suddenly lifted up with force. His world has literally turned upside down as he hangs by his ankle from a rope tied around a tree branch. Jean's face is in a state of utter shock, listing off every thing that has gone wrong since he started his journey a few hours earlier.

His thoughts are interrupted suddenly as his wide golden amber eyes look into a pair of emerald eyes that shine as brilliantly as fire.


	2. Proving Your Worth

_Chop!_

The axe splits the freshly cut wood in two, landing on opposite sides of the barren stump. The user wipes his brow of the thin trails of sweat that threaten to slide further down and sighs. He grips the smooth wooden handle of the axe, bracing his foot against the stump, and tugs hard. The axe shifts slightly but remains embedded into the wood.

He tugs harder, grunting in anger as the axe refuses to budge anymore.

"Eren?"

The boy squeaks in surprise, falling backwards, and lands on the ground with a loud thud, leaving the axe in the stump.

"Eren, what are you doing? You should be at home resting," a stern voice says, getting closer to the boy on the ground. Eren gets up, wiping the dirt and grass from his white pants, and looks up at the older man speaking to him.

"I don't want to stay at home. I'm going crazy not being able to do anything," Eren exclaims, throwing his arms up in the air exasperatedly before letting them fall back to his sides. "Besides, Dad, I want to make sure you'll be fine before I go."

His father sighs, walking over to the axe still lodged in the stump, and removes it with ease. Eren stares in awe as his father drops the tool onto the ground before rushing to gather some of the freshly cut wood.

"There's a lesson here, Eren. You can't go head first into anything without any sort of plan or meditation. You were trying your hardest to force this axe from the wood but it didn't work," his father starts, adjusting the rounded glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Had you calmed down and truly accessed the situation, you would have easily pulled it out as I did."

Eren looks down at the ground, shuffling his feet awkwardly. His emerald green eyes shine brightly under the sun, contrasting beautifully with the pristine crimson stones around his wrist.

"Come now, Eren. Don't worry about the firewood right now. You need to conserve your strength for tomorrow."

"It's just my birthday."

"It's also a sacred day. You'll be eighteen years old and ready to go on your journey." He gestures with his head, signaling for his son to follow him back home. Eren sighs, bending over and grabbing the axe, and walks a good distance behind his father, muttering how he doesn't need to be pampered so much. They walk along the dirt path leading into the busy village, kicking up dust behind them as Eren drags his feet along.

The chirping of the birds and the overall quiet serenity of the woods fades away and is replaced by the dull hum of indiscernible voices. Many villagers offer them a polite wave or another form of acknowledgment as they pass by; Eren returns their bright smiles with a small curl at the corner of his lips.

They know what day it is tomorrow. Everyone's familiar with the work of his father, Grisha Jäger, and they know he's a successful healer; therefore, they know all about his son and have high hopes for him to bring their village more fame and prestige. However, he doesn't care for all of those petty titles and recognition; Eren's waited all this time to finally leave his village and explore the world he was denied.

He hasn't left from the safety of the forest in many years; he's almost forgotten what the land looks like beyond the tall trees, beyond the thick forest that surrounds them like a fortress.

Beyond the unspeakable evils and dark secrets hidden within the forest. Eren wants nothing more than to escape and right what has been wronged.

After passing through the busy streets of midday, Eren and Grisha walk up to the small porch of their house, setting their firewood and tools on the side of their old, creaky door. Grisha gestures for Eren to enter the house first, further insisting that his son do absolutely nothing for the day. He simply complies, checking back behind him to see his father head back into the busy village for his next appointment.

Eren leaves the door open and walks through the small, wooden house and into his room, shutting his door behind him. Sighing, he lets himself fall onto his small bed, causing it to creak with the additional weight upon it. Relaxing immediately as his head lays against the soft pillow, Eren peeks around his room with one eye, looking around at the small, cluttered area. About five feet away, on the opposite wall from the bed, lies a dusty old dresser with all its drawers pulled out. Various clothes are strewn about, covering the dresser and the wooden floor beneath it.

He turns his head away from the messy room, throwing the covers over him and shutting his emerald eyes. Eren lies there quietly for a few minutes, listening as his breathing slows to a calm state. As he relaxes, he nuzzles closer against the blankets, smiling as thoughts of his mother come rushing in.

He daydreams of a time when he was little, being cradled in his mother's arms as he makes silly faces to her, absolutely adoring her laugh. His mother would cover her mouth with the back of her hand, holding in her giggles as her son would laugh and joke to her. Eren always loved her smile and was happy to have inherited it.

"I miss you, Mama," he mutters under his breath, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Eren brings his knees up to his chest, holding them in his arms, as he continues to go through other memories of his mother, both good and bad. He thinks back to the time when he had his friends living with him and his parents, his friends from the Water settlement. His mother was so happy to look after all of them, especially since Eren finally had friends he got along with.

Eren smiles to himself, comforted by his mother's love. He relaxes his body completely in the bed, grabbing onto the soft fabric of the covers tighter, wrapping himself up in it.

"Mama…p-please come back."

Eren sighs, knowing that he won't get anywhere with his melancholic whispering. In his bundle of blankets, he's been getting warmer and warmer without realizing it. Before long, Eren's taken out of his relaxed state with the smell of smoke and the sound of crackling filling the air. Once he feels an extreme heat around his torso, he immediately jumps up, seeing that the blanket has caught on fire.

"Fucking hell! Not again, dammit!" Eren shouts, hopping out of the bed and smacking it, trying to kill the flames. He manages to get rid of the flames before they grow too big and cause anymore damage. Sadly, his blankets were lost in the battle and Eren just tosses them to side, promising himself he'll deal with it later.

He stands in the middle of his room, staring in disbelief that he's just set _another_ blanket on fire within the past few weeks. He kicks the remnants before storming out of his room, unable to deal with the overwhelming smell of smoke any longer.

Eren stomps away into the living room, throwing himself in his dad's rocking chair, and pouts. Along with the small clock on the opposite wall that ticks in a set rhythm, come the uneven creaks of the rocking chair as Eren sways back and forth.

"Just one more day. One more fucking day and I can finally meet up with you guys again. Armin and Mikasa, I hope you two are still living peacefully together. I'll be there soon, I promise," he mutters to himself, picking at the shiny, crimson bracelet on his right wrist. Those stones were precious to him and, because of that, he gave some away to his two closest friends.

He smiles sweetly, remembering the time both of them lived in his village when they were children. Eren was never one to get along with the other children in his home growing up, but Mikasa and Armin were different. Armin came to the village once after sneaking out from his home in Trost. He didn't permanently live with Eren, but he visited frequently enough that he became Eren's closest friend.

And Mikasa. Mikasa lived with Eren for the longest time, despite coming from the Water Settlement. Eren clenches his fist as he remembers the men that stole her away and how he fought to save her.

He also remembers the cool, suffocating feeling of water engulfing him. He suppresses a shudder, realizing that his grip on the arm of the rocking chair has heated up significantly. Jumping up from the chair, he tries to calm himself down before accidentally setting his entire house on fire.

The steam emitting from his fists is a good sign for him to just leave the house, completely ignoring his father's orders. As he passes the small table near the door, he stops and admires the picture of his smiling mother on it. Reaching out for it, he gently holds it in his hand and kisses the picture quickly.

"I'm just going out for a bit, okay, Mom? Don't tell Dad, otherwise he'll have another bitch fit."

He sets the framed photo down lovingly, making sure to keep it safe and not too close to the edge. Eren turns on his heel and heads out through the wide-open front door, only to be greeted by another man.

"So it seems I will have a job to do today!"

Eren near jumps out of his skin as a slurred voice speaks to him. To his immediate right sits a lanky man with blond hair and hardened skin on the chair set out of the porch. Once Eren recovers from his small fright, he smiles, turning to fully face the man.

"What are you doing here, Hannes?"

"Well, damn. Don't sound too excited to see me," Hannes huffs, standing up wearily from the chair. He stretches his arms and back, hearing a small crack, and smiles back to Eren. "Your father asked me to make sure you didn't go running off again." Eren simply frowns, reminding himself to speak with his father later about babying him so much.

"Are you serious? Why can't I fucking go out and do as I please?"

"Because you're turning eighteen tomorrow. You know that's a big thing around here." Hannes gestures with his head towards the main center of the village. "C'mon, let's go for a walk together. We haven't had much quality time together in awhile. I'll even buy you some food if you behave."

In that moment, Eren's stomach growls at the mention of food, and he curses the fact that he hadn't eaten at all that day and that it was loud enough for Hannes to laugh at it. He clutches it as they walk down from the porch, once again not bothering to close the front door. No one really steals in the village anyway. Everyone in the Fire village respects their neighbors' property as well as trusts one another. The only thieves Eren has ever come across were outsiders who managed to get in without a stone to show their trustworthiness.

"Eren? Eren, are you okay?"

"What…?" Eren looks up as Hannes calls to him, not realizing how hard he's clenched his fists. Hannes waves his hand over Eren's head, blowing away some of the steam with an amused grin on his face.

"Look at you, getting all riled up over nothing. What's gotten you like this? You were fine just a minute ago."

"Nothing, just…" Eren stops and keeps his head down, brows furrowed in anger. Hannes sighs and pats him on the back, knowing exactly what's troubling the young boy.

"It's about your mother, isn't it?" Hannes asks apprehensively. Eren doesn't respond and keeps his hands close to his side. "Hey, sorry, I don't mean to damper our fun. I just…I don't ever expect you to forgive me about that day but there was nothing any of us could have done. Your mother was a very brave woman."

"Hannes…please, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"S-Sorry." Hannes keeps his eye on Eren as he scratches the back of his head anxiously. Eren's body is completely tense and rigid, something Hannes hates seeing. He remembers a time when Eren, no matter how argumentative and rash he could be, would always smile, laugh, and live without fear or hatred. "Hey, so, I didn't really know too much of what to get you for your birthday tomorrow but, while we're out, just point to anything you want and I'll pay." He offers Eren a sincere smile.

Eren also can't help but crack a small smile. He lifts his head up just as they enter the busier section of the village, more than happy to drown out his memories with the happy hum of conversation.

"All right, that sounds good. Just to warn you, I'm going to point at literally everything I see."

Hannes guffaws loudly, throwing his head back. "Well, goddamn, you're worse than my wife. I said anything you _want_, not point at everything."

"No, Hannes, you don't understand. I want everything." Eren chuckles as Hannes lightly elbows him in the side.

"No need to be a smartass. You know I wouldn't do this for anyone."

"Aargh, you kids have it so lucky these days. Y'know, back when I was old enough to set out on my own, I wasn't allowed half the shit you can take. We had to make our own weapons from what we found in the forest. Hell, we couldn't even bring anything from our homes," Hannes gripes as he takes another swig of his drink, setting the mug down harshly on the wooden table once he finishes.

Eren sits across from him, quietly listening to Hannes' rants as he takes another bite of corn from his dish. He chews the small bits, crushing them as they pop in his mouth before swallowing them, staring incredulously at the man opposite of him take another drink.

"You know it's only like two in the afternoon, right? Isn't it too early to get shitfaced?"

Hannes, whose cheeks are flushed with a deep pinkish-red, leans back in his chair, pointing an accusatory finger at Eren. "H-Hey, I ain't gonna let some kid tell me when I h-had enough booze."

"I am literally turning eighteen tomorrow. I am going on my rite of passage tomorrow morning."

Hannes scratches his head, mulling over his words as carefully as his clouded mind can. He groans slightly before looking Eren up and down. "God, I can't even believe you're already at that age. I remember when I came back f-from my journey. Y-You were just a tiny baby." Hannes gestures with his hands, exaggerating how small Eren was in his arms as a child.

"What was it like?" Eren inquires abruptly, staring Hannes straight in the eye, ignoring the life outside of their table at the restaurant. He sets his fork down, letting it clatter against the plate before speaking up again. "What was it like to be free out there? How can you tell when you've found your purpose?"

Hannes sighs, bringing his rough, calloused hands up to his flushed face, and rubs up and down. He claps his hands back together as he stares down at the ground, searching his inebriated brain for the right words.

"Eren, I—" he mutters, unsure of how to begin this conversation. "That's really h-hard for me to explain. Everyone experiences it differently and finds their way after different durations. For me, it took twelve years before I was allowed back into the village after I had my spiritual calling. Your father only took two years."

Eren finally turns away from Hannes' hardened face, focusing his attention on his discarded fork and cold plate of food. He lifts the cool metal utensil up, moving it around in his hands a bit before mixing the remaining food around, considering Hannes' words.

"Was your purpose exactly what you thought it would be?"

Hannes pauses for a moment before letting out a hearty guffaw, slapping his knee. A few bystanders turn to see where the boisterous, raspy laugh is coming from before continuing on with their tasks. He wipes away tears from his eyes that formed from his sudden rush of laughter. "O-Oh, Eren that's a good one."

Eren furrows his brows in response, clearly upset and confused by Hannes' reaction to his serious question.

"Hannes! I'm not fucking around!" He slams his fists on the table, rattling the plates and almost knocking over his glass.

"Listen, I honestly thought that I'd be done in no time, be an experienced fighter and protector, come back to the village and ask for your mother's hand in marriage." He shrugs. "Didn't exactly turn out that way, kiddo. Your father beat me to it. And I got caught up in other affairs. Those Shadow Elementals are really something else."

Eren grits his teeth and growls, a sudden wave of irritation overflows through his body. "Shadows…Once I'm out of the village, I'll make sure they regret the day they were brought into this world. I'll fucking slaughter them all," he snarls in a low, dangerous tone. Hannes shifts in his seat slightly, feeling immensely uncomfortable from Eren's current state of mind.

"Hey, calm down. You're going to burn the goddamn restaurant to the ground." He pats Eren hands as they were the only thing he could properly reach. The steam slowly disperses as Eren ever so slightly calms himself of his anger and rage. "Jesus, even small children have more control of their fire powers than you. If you act like this in other Elemental territories, who knows what they'll do to you. Us Fire people aren't allies with everyone."

"Will you stop telling me shit I already know?"

"I know you want to fight the Shadows more than anything in the world, but what are you going to do when that's not what you're meant to do? What if your destiny was to meet someone or— or to live in another territory for your life? That's why the Fire Elementals are nomadic. Only the ones who have completed the journey can come back to the village."

For once, Eren stays silent as he listens to Hannes' lecture, contemplating his words despite how much he doesn't want to hear them. He rests his head in his right hand, keeping his eyes off of Hannes and trying to focus on anything else. He watches a woman cradle her child in her arms a few tables away, feeling a small pang of sadness in his chest.

"Here, why don't we go off somewhere else for now before you end up burning this place down. We'll talk some more where people can't get hurt." Hannes smiles before calling for a waiter to pay his bill. Eren frowns, muttering how he knows how to control his powers and doesn't need to be treated like a baby anymore.

"Ah, so you're gonna head straight to the Water settlement to see your little friends again, huh? I guess it's good that you have a plan for the beginning."

"Yeah, and I kept the water stones that Mikasa gave me, so I should be safe there at least. I just…I just hope they don't live _too_ close to the ocean." Eren gulps, shivering from the thought of being near such a vast body of water and being able to hear the waves crash onto the shore. He closes his eyes, keeping them shut tight, and tries not to think about the water overpowering him.

"Leave it to you to be best friends with a Water Elemental," Hannes chuckles before noticing Eren's discomfort. "Hey, hey, relax, you're nowhere near any water. You're safe." He places a careful hand on Eren's dark, hot skin, hoping to soothe the boy from his fears. Eren takes a few deep breaths before relaxing and thanking Hannes for the gesture.

Eren leans backwards, resting his body on the grass; the sharp blades tickle his bare back as he shifts around, lacing his fingers behind his head. Hannes sits next to him with his knees up and arms resting on top of them. He watches Eren for a few moments before turning to look out at the sunset. It's not much of a sight, considering their village is surrounded by tall oak trees, but they can make out the changing hues in the sky, feeling comforted from how the orange and reds meld so perfectly with the violets and indigos that have signaled the impending arrival of the night.

"How do you know when you're allowed to come back? How do you know you've gotten what you wanted out in the world?" Eren asks pensively, thinking back to their earlier conversation about the rite of passage. He hears Hannes groan and sigh, taking his time with a proper response.

"Sorry, kiddo. I can't answer that either." Hannes shrugs and leans back on his hands. "You'll just know."

"Remind me to never talk to you about serious shit again. You sound just like any other adult."

Hannes laughs again. "And you sound just like a child that never shuts up with the questions. Ahh, speaking of adults, I think we should get you back home before Grisha wonders where you are, and before he gives me an ass whooping for taking you out."

Eren rolls back, lifting his legs up, and hops onto the ground perfectly with a look of dismay and panic on his face. "FUCK! I forgot Dad was coming home early tonight!" He sprints from the vacant spot in the grass, calling back to Hannes to hurry after him. Hannes blinks a few times from Eren's sudden burst of energy before lifting himself up, groaning in the process.

Within a few minutes, Eren makes it to his small house, hopping up onto the porch with Hannes slowly trailing behind. The front door is shut, signaling that his father is home and most likely not happy. Eren shoots Hannes a glare before slowly opening up the door, wincing at the creaking that most likely has alerted his father of his presence.

"Eren?"

"Shit," he mutters under his breath, walking in fully. Eren glances quickly at the picture of his mother as his father walks to greet him.

"I thought I told you _not_ to leave the house today. Why on earth did you disobey me?" Grisha glares at his son when Hannes nervously waves from the doorway.

"Sorry about that. I know I was supposed to watch him but then I ended up taking him out into the village for a bit. We must've lost track of time."

Grisha adjusts the glasses on the bridge of his nose, watching them carefully with narrowed eyes. "As long as Eren didn't cause any trouble out there, I'll let it slide just this once. Thank you, Hannes."

Hannes nods and roughly pats Eren on the back. "Good luck tonight. You'll need it." He turns around and walks out of their house, glad to be away from the awkward atmosphere. Eren watches as he leaves, silently wishing that he hadn't left. His father can be a horrifying man once he's pushed past a certain limit. Hopefully, staying out a little later against his wishes wasn't something to trigger that sort of anger.

"I hope you two didn't do anything more than walk around. I told you it is important that you rest today, Eren."

"Dad, all we did was eat and sit around. I wasn't fucking running off or sneaking away," Eren growls, turning his gaze away from his father, knowing he has just done something wrong.

"Don't use that language with me." Grisha gestures to a door behind him. "Come on. It's time to meet at the altar for the preparation ceremony." He walks to the door, blowing out a few of the candles along the way, keeping them in the dark with only a little orange light seeping through the windows. Eren gulps before following his father, not wanting to be left in the dark living room alone.

Once he enters the room, he immediately notices how cramped it is. It's barely enough room for two people to sit down in comfortably. Grisha, who is already sitting down cross-legged in front of a small table, calmly tells Eren to sit on the opposite side in the same manner. As he settles down, Grisha sparks a small flame from his fingertip, lighting the row of candles behind him before turning to the compact wooden box before him. He lifts up the cypress incense and lights it, waving it around as the smoke rises, giving off a faint smell of spiced wood in the room. It isn't overbearing but in such a tight space it is a noticeable, musky scent.

Eren relaxes his body despite the cramped space and watches as his father enacts the traditional farewell ritual. In recent times, many families in the village have neglected to complete the ritual before sending off their loved one. It's only a superstition, but those who have come before them made this ritual a necessity before one would leave. Despite this, their society now is starting to view it differently, mainly as an annoyance because the amount of people that do return to the village is so low.

"I decided on cypress," Grisha begins, "because it represents strength, confidence, physical vitality, and willpower. I know you are a headstrong young man, brimming with an unparalleled will to succeed, and here's to hoping you never lose that trait. It's also used for comfort and easing anxiety, because I know even you are a slight bit nervous about leaving. But you'll do great wonders, my son. I know you'll conquer whatever challenges you face." He reaches to his side, grabbing two items that are carefully covered with a fine silk cloth.

Eren watches with mystified eyes as the two items are placed on the table before him. Once his father pulls his hands away, he nods, giving Eren permission to unravel what is hidden. He reaches slowly and carefully for the first item on his left, noticing its weight and wondering how fragile it could be. He takes the cloth off, revealing a large, golden necklace with a pale red stone located in its center. Eren sniffles, tears immediately prickling the sides of his eyes as he ghosts his hand over it.

It's his mother's old necklace.

"Despite what happened to your mother, I know this will benefit and help you. Your mother died protecting you, and I have faith that she will continue watching over you. This way, you can take a little bit of her wherever you go."

"T-Thank you…" Eren chokes out, fighting back a sob behind gritted teeth. He takes the large piece of jewelry and fastens it around his neck, shivering and hissing from the cool metal on his fiery skin. It's big enough to cover the base of his neck and hangs just above his collarbone. Eren admires it for a few moments before reaching to the second item and breathes a sigh of relief at how light it is.

Wrapped in the cloth are the traditional sashes of the Fire Elementals. They are always given as a set of two as a symbol that the wearer is both an advocate of peace and patriotic. As a rule, the sash must also be visible at all times so no mistakes are made upon seeing them. Eren runs his hands along the velvety cloth, squinting to see the intricate golden designs woven into the crimson fabric.

"Thank you, Father. I'll do you and Mom proud. I promise." Eren bows his head slightly, overcome with mixed emotions for the next morning. Grisha bows as well, keeping a modest and stoic face despite feeling apprehension for his son to be leaving him so soon.

"I know that you'll make us proud. Now, please, get some rest, Eren." Eren stands at the cue, followed by his father and leaves the little room, stepping back out into the living room. It's pitch black and quiet, forcing Eren to light a small flame from his hand in order to see. He turns around to tell his father good night and heads to his bedroom at the end of the hall.

Once in a familiar setting, Eren extinguishes the flame and throws himself onto his bed, furiously ignoring the burnt blanket rotting in the corner.

He falls asleep with no trouble and doesn't dream of a single thing that night.

Eren's awoken by the sound of a gentle rapping on his door. He blinks and looks around wearily before realizing that it's early in the morning. Shooting up from his bed, he rushes to answer the door, ignoring the fact that his hair is in all different directions.

"Eren, you need to be ready to leave before the sun rises. Hurry," Grisha commands once the door is open. Eren nods in understanding, reaching up to rub his eyes and yawn. He stretches limbs high in the air, groaning at the satisfied feeling of his bones cracking, especially in his back.

When it finally hits him that he doesn't have much time to dawdle about, Eren jumps with fright as he begins gathering materials and getting dressed. He changes into a fresh pair of loose, white pants, comfortable for traveling, and struggles into his tall, brown boots that stop just below his knee. They're in fair condition, showing a minor bit of wear on them, but Eren wouldn't rely on any other pair for his journey.

He loops his belt around and wraps the sashes around it, securing them tightly so they won't fall off. Eren pats them down and slides them to his backside, not wanting them to get in the way should he have to fight anything or anyone along the way. He darts across his room, almost tripping on random objects strewn about the floor, and gropes around in one of his drawers for his bracers. He smiles as he locates them and puts them on his wrists hastily. The leather material feels rough on him and doesn't slide on as easily but he manages eventually.

Eren disregards putting on a shirt or even packing one for that matter because he always felt so clumsy and bulky wearing them. As a Fire, his body temperature is much higher than that of a human being, so putting on extra layers for warmth is useless for him.

Grisha calls for him once more, sending a pang of frustration through his body. Eren shouts back at him, telling him he's almost ready. There's one last thing he needs to make sure he has before he brings his bag of tools.

The bracelet made of multiple Fire stones, carefully woven together with thread, and shining beautifully despite the limited amount of light. Eren kisses it, relishing the memory of his mother placing it on his tiny wrist and explaining how much she meant to him. He was young then, and didn't understand everything she told him, but he remembers the softness in her voice and the tenderness in which she held him.

He straightens up, taking in a deep breath, and walks out of his room with his brown bag in hand. The front door is open and chatting can be heard on the porch, which Eren assumes to be between his father and Hannes.

The only two that were willing to see him off.

When Eren walks out of the house, the two men turn to him, his father wearing a solemn expression while Hannes keeps a more light-hearted face. He smiles to Eren, nodding in approval.

"Hey, kiddo. You ready?"

"Mmyeah. More than ready, actually."

Hannes puts his hand on Eren's shoulder, squeezing it lightly before offering him a small parcel wrapped in cloth. Eren takes it from Hannes' hands, raising his eyebrows as he turns it around.

"What's this?" Eren inquires, finally looking up to the blond man. He chuckles softly, placing his hands on his hips proudly.

"It's just a little parting gift for you. It served as a good luck charm for me when I was younger. And hey, I even made it myself, so it should be really special to you!" He winks at Eren as he unwraps the cloth, smiling at Eren's glowing face.

"Oh, it's another necklace," Eren beams, admiring the smooth Fire stone in the center and running his fingers over the hollow teeth that are lined up on the side. He puts it on promptly, glad that is hangs much lower than his mother's necklace.

Grisha also handles him another package, this time significantly bigger than what Hannes gave to him. "Don't open it now, Eren. Just put it in your bag and wait until later to look at it once you've established yourself." He lingers as he places both hands firmly on Eren's shoulders, just admiring how much his son has grown and that this day has finally come. Swept up by a surge of emotion, Grisha hugs Eren tight, pulling him close. Eren's surprised at first but he nuzzles into his father's embrace, fighting back tears from leaving.

"Don't worry, Dad. I know…exactly what I need to do to survive."

"Don't be reckless, Eren. Take the time to see the big picture instead of rushing head-on into danger. Use your head for thinking, not for fighting. Remember the axe." With that, Grisha lets go of his son, adjusting his glasses and taking a step back. Eren gives the two men one more glance before turning around and walking through the sleeping village.

"Carla's watching over the boy, Grisha. He'll be fine."

Light filters through the leaves above as Eren trudges on, yawning loudly. He started his journey just hours before but he ended up taking a quick nap in a pile of leaves at the base of a large tree. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he sat down, checking the contents of his father's package. It had contained some food like bread, berries, and nuts, good for a quick snack when he's not hunting.

"I guess I should try and catch something for later. This forest is huge; it'll take _all day_ before I make it out."

Looking up at the trees, Eren checks the branches for their height and strength. He reaches into his bag, searching for a rope sturdy enough to use for a snare. He finds a thin, coarse rope and sets the bag down, digging for a knife in order to cut and shape sticks and pieces of wood to set it up.

Eren searches the area, gathering various sized sticks and bits of branches that have fallen off. He sits down on a rock and chooses the thicker ones, shaving and cutting off the bits of one side in order to make a sharp stake. He stabs it into the ground a few times, checking how well it holds, satisfied from the quality. Eren lifts it up and places it a few feet from the base of the tree he has chosen.

He takes another piece of wood, cutting a small groove in it, matching the one he cut in the first piece, in order for it to hook onto the stake in the ground. Throwing the rope over the branch above, he tugs on it, carefully bringing the branch down and tying a tight knot around it. Keeping the branch bent and the rope in his hand, he ties it around the wood the pegged wood. He secures the pegged branch in the open groove of the stake, smiling to himself that he got it right his first try. It had been so long since he had set up traps like this.

For the final touch, he loosely ties a noose at the end of the rope, so whatever enters it, it'll tighten up significantly, lifting the victim in the air. Eren smiles a toothy grin as he goes over his trap. He takes a few leaves nearby and covers up as much of it as he can. Looking around, he notices some rustling and rushes over to a wide tree trunk about six feet away and hides, keeping his ears open for the sound of his snare activating.

The wait lasts for twenty minutes when Eren's startled by the sound of someone shouting. His eyes widen, wondering what in the world someone is doing this deep in the forest. And the voice didn't sound like anyone he knew from the village.

"Could it be…? A-A Shadow?"

Eren's right hand clenches into a fist, steaming from the heat surrounding it as he's ready to attack. His green eyes are wild with desire and rage, already thinking of the many ways he'll maim and tear them apart.

Within a few moments, he hears desperate running accompanied by dead leaves being crushed. Whoever is out there, they sound lost and confused. Eren grins, cackling to himself as the sound gets louder, knowing that the victim is close to his trap.

"If they're so disoriented then there's _no way_ they'll fucking notice the branch hanging low."

_Snap!_

The victim runs straight into the trap, yelping as they're turned upside and dangling from the tree branch. Eren leaps from behind his hiding spot and rushes to his snare, grinning like a maniac before shifting his face to a more serious one, only slightly concealing his bloodlust.

What he finds, however, is not a vicious enemy but instead…another ordinary person who looks about his age. Fear is written all over his face as his eyes move around rapidly, adjusting to the upside down world.

Eren approaches him; his murderous intent has long subsided as he watches the young man writhe. When he calms down, he looks straight at Eren's face.

The man's golden, honey eyes stare right into Eren's fiery emerald eyes, silently pleading for his life.


	3. Happy Birthday

"What do you mean you couldn't catch him? You're supposed to be his guard, what on _earth_ were you doing?" Reginald screams as Marlowe keeps his posture stiff and respectful. He gulps as the mayor paces around his office, still in his dark robe from being awoken at such an early time with this startling news. "And you said he climbed over the wall and ran through the forcefield?"

"Y-Yes, sir. He just…jumped when I got close."

"Then _why_ didn't you jump after him?"

"S-Sir, I was trying to apprehend the accomplice."

"I don't give two _shits_ about the accomplice. I'm more worried about my own goddamn son than his little friend! It was your job to go after him and you couldn't even do that!" Reginald pauses, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself and gripping tightly to the corner of his old wooden desk. He pinches the bridge of his nose as his mind races, trying to push away the thought that his son might never come back. As Marlowe readies another response in his defense, Levi enters through the door, looking equally furious as Reginald does.

Both men are alerted by the menacing presence and turn their attention towards him. Reginald grits his teeth, holding back a growl at the sight of the shorter man. Marlowe scoffs and faces Reginald once more.

"Marlowe, you need to leave. The mayor and I are about to have a private discussion," Levi speaks firmly, his tone serious and dangerous.

"Excuse me, sir, _I__'__m_ having a private discussion with the mayor. A simple doctor like you has no business barging on in here and trying to —"

"Marlowe, that's enough. Just go. I don't want to see your face right now." Reginald waves him off, glaring through his golden eyes. Marlowe blinks, unable to speak against the mayor's wishes, and turns on his heel, exiting the room. Neither of the remaining men flinch as the door is slammed shut and they stay in silence for a few moments until Reginald speaks up once more.

"You. I knew letting you close to Jean would be trouble for him. It's because you put those ideas into his head he ran away."

"Actually, your son came to me last night, talking about going to see his friend Armin, and I told him no. He didn't even have to tell me that he was leaving for me to know that was his plan." Levi crosses his arms, leaning slightly on one hip and watching the man before him carefully. "Might I also remind you _who_ it was that let me be Jean's private tutor?"

"Don't start this with me. My son is outside of Trost, getting into God knows what trouble or worse…"

"No, don't think like that. Jean might be a clumsy fuck with a short fuse but he's not stupid."

"But he's out there all alone, Levi. What, do you just expect me to sit here and wait for him to waltz on through the door?"

Levi reaches one hand up to his temple and holds it there, taking a moment to gather his thoughts at the situation at hand. He had never intended for Jean to actually go out into the world of the Others, but he at least wanted to educate him so he could be the start of a generation of understanding, unlike humanity as it is now.

"If you would just stop screaming and panicking for a moment, you'd realize that _my husband_ is the commander of the messengers. In fact, he's probably getting his men ready now so they can go and retrieve Jean's dumb ass."

Reginald brings his hands up to his face, rubbing it slowly and letting out an exasperated sigh. He pinches his nose once more, fighting back the inevitable headache that his son has just caused. Of all the stupid things he's done in his life, this is at the very top of the list.

Reginald takes a few moments to breath in and out, slowly gathering his thoughts to a more rational mind. Levi stands by idly, shifting his weight to one hip and and crossing his arms.

"So, what'll it be?"

"Just get Erwin in here. I need to speak to him before he goes off."

* * *

Jean stares straight into the eyes of a mysterious person as he hangs upside down from a tree. The rope around his ankle is tight and he begins to feel the pounding rush of blood flow rapidly to his head. However, he can't take his eyes away from those in front of him. For a brief moment, he thought the eyes before him, the emerald green that burned so bright, were one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"H-Huh…?"

"Are you here trying to attack my village?" His voice is dangerous and low, almost growling as he checks Jean up and down for any threat. Jean gulps and shakes his head rapidly.

"What the fuck are you talking about? W-Will you just let me down? I-I don't know how much longer I-I can stay like this."

"If you make _one step_ out of line," the other boy warns, holding his hand up to reveal a blade. "I'll kill you." Jean gulps, mewling at the sight of the weapon before him, shining in the sunlight. However, the blade isn't the only thing that catches Jean's eye. Just below, resting snug on his wrist, is a bracelet made of the same crimson stones that he owns.

As the boy reaches up, cutting the rope holding him, Jean falls on his back and feels the breath forced out of him. Still running on adrenaline, especially with such a dangerous person nearby, Jean sits up quickly, _too quickly_ for his captor's taste.

His breath quickens as he feels the cool metal tip of the blade on his neck. Jean's terrified of even swallowing, knowing his Adam's apple will make unpleasant contact with it.

"What are you? Shadow? Are you a fucking Shadow?"

"W-Wait…W-Wait, please…" Jean whispers, throat dry and voice hoarse with fear. "I-I'm gonna reach into my pocket, okay? I-I'm not getting a weapon, I swear. J-Just trust me, please."

"Hurry up."

Jean reaches carefully into his pocket, keeping his eyes on his attacker, making sure he doesn't get impatient with that knife. He silently praises himself for not putting the stones in his bag. He feels around for the perpetually warm stone, wondering if the bracelet feels the same on his assailant's wrist.

He holds up the red stone. "S-See? I-I got one of those things too." Jean randomly thinks back to Armin's words, telling him that these stones will come in use one day. His attacker reels back, staring wide-eyed at the familiar object. However, despite his surprise, he calms down, drawing the knife away from Jean's neck.

"How did you get that? _Where_ did you get that?"

"M-My friend, my friend Armin, h-he gave it to me. He's why I'm out here and not i-in Trost anymore."

The attacker snatches the stone from Jean's clammy hands, turning it around in his hand and inspecting it closely. Jean stays frozen in place, cursing his current predicament and praying that the stone will stop _something_.

"Armin? Did you say Armin? A-Are you…John, by any chance?"

Jean deadpans, instantly relaxing but feeling awfully strange, especially with a complete stranger who just _tried to kill him _butchering his name. His voice had softened significantly from his previous, threatening tone.

"It's _Jean_. How the hell do you almost know my name?"

"Armin told me a few years ago. He said he'd given some stones to his friend…_Jean_. He talked about you a lot; it was kinda weird."

It's almost astounding at how easily this boy calmed down once Armin's name was spoken. Jean raises an eyebrow curiously, needing to ask his affiliation with him. He's hopeful that maybe Armin isn't too far away.

"H-How do you even know Armin? Is he around here?"

"What?" the boy questions incredulously. "He _never_ talked to you about me? I'm his fucking friend Eren!" He throws his arms up in the air, turning away from Jean and walking in a messy circle. "Oh sure, he mentions you and all that shit, but says nothing about me and Mikasa?"

"Hey! Shut your mouth for five seconds and explain to me what's going on!" Jean shouts, feeling braver as Eren lowers his guard and rants. Eren turns around swiftly, furrowing his brows at Jean but retaining a safe demeanor.

"_What?!_"

"Who the fuck are you? Why did you set that trap? Why were you trying to kill me? _How the hell do you know Armin?!__"_ Jean's confusion almost always leads to him being frustrated in some way. He's beyond confused and frustrated to this point, still feeling his heart pumping from the adrenaline rush just moments before. He's never felt so stupid and helpless before.

Eren frowns at him, still furrowing his brows, but doesn't make any attempt to move. "So…you are a human after all. Okay, look, I just left my village this morning and I set that trap to catch food for myself, so thanks a lot for ruining it for me, asshole."

They keep quiet for a few moments as Eren puts his hands on his hips and Jean crosses his arms. They watch each other carefully, looking for any signs of hostility; Jean silently curses himself for losing his bag earlier, knowing that he has no weapon should this stranger decide to finish him off.

"Ugh, whatever. I don't have time for this," Eren sighs, dropping his arms and walking over to Jean's side where the remnants of the trap lie. He disregards the rope still tied to the branch, only showing interest in the longer piece on the ground. He gathers the peg pieces and shoves them into his bag.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting my shit and leaving. The hell does it look like?"

"You're just going to leave me out here?"

Eren raises an eyebrow at him as if his actions didn't make it obvious enough. "Look, I've got something more important to do then help some poor lost human, okay?" He realizes that he's been holding onto the stone this entire time and sighs as he tosses it back to Jean, who fumbles with it before it ultimately falls to the ground.

"Come on! I've got no supplies a-and all I want to do is go see Armin. You clearly know where he's at _and_ you just tried to kill me so you owe me. Please," Jean begs, stooping down and retrieving the stone, holding it securely in his grasp. "At least just get me to Armin. A-After that, you can fuck off and do whatever the hell it is that's so important."

Eren paces around, looking deep in thought. Glancing at Jean and apparently noting how pathetic he looks in his begging, Eren sighs, appearing to let his guilty conscience get the better of him. He holds his hand out to Jean, who's still on the ground after all this time.

"I'm only taking you to Armin. Don't ask me for anything else."

"Uh, yeah, well, I was gonna ask if you could help me get my bag that I—"

"_You son of a bitch._"

* * *

"So you don't know how to hunt, you have _no_ supplies, and you don't even know where Armin could actually be? How stupid are you? I honestly don't even know why Humans are regarded so highly in this world if they can't even do anything for themselves."

"You know, I like you better when you're not running that stupid mouth of yours all the time."

"I'd like you better if you weren't with me, fuckface," Eren yells in frustration, turning to face Jean with his thick brows furrowed. Jean simply rolls his eyes, keeping a proper distance from him and strolling along with his hands in his pockets. "Remember, I'm taking you to Armin and _that__'__s it_. Unfortunately the Water Settlement is a very long walk away…it'll probably take a month if we continue at a steady pace."

"Hold on, what?" Jean asks, stopping in the middle of the path and nearly tripping over a root. "_A month!?_"

"It'll be two months with you stopping like that. Hurry up!" Eren calls over his shoulder, leaving Jean in the middle without any intention of slowing down. However, Jean stays in place, refusing to move as he processes and goes over the length of time it'll take to see his friend. One month? That seems so insane.

He wondered what on earth Armin was thinking. He ran all the way out to the east coast?

A cool breeze rolls by, rustling the leaves on the trees above and blowing right through Jean. It's sunny and fairly warm, a complete contrast to the events of the day. Jean rakes his fingers through his hair, letting out a deep breath, and tries to go over everything he's doing. It was strange for him to leave the safety of his home so impulsively, but at the same time, he felt prepared and ready.

"Hey!"

Jean's quickly brought out of his trance at the echoing scream coming from his new travel partner. He shakes his head, focusing his eyes on the path ahead, and sees Eren standing a good twenty feet away. Jean can't help but blush from such an embarrassing moment and grumbles to himself as he rushes to keep up with Eren.

* * *

Night falls quickly and the two travelers have only cleared a portion of the forest. Jean wraps his arms around himself, feeling the cool chill of night and shivering in response. His clothes are light and he doesn't have too many layers, something that he's definitely cursing himself for. He leans against the cold, dark bark of a tree, as Eren instructed him, while waiting on his new "friend" to set up their camp.

They found a small spot surrounded by thick pine trees and Eren currently struggles to gather enough pine leaves to use as bedding on the hard ground. He's clumsy, often stepping on branches wrong and cursing when he gets close to slipping. Jean scoffs, thinking to himself that he could climb circles around him while gathering twice as many pine leaves. In fact, he gets the bright idea to voice his thoughts.

"Need any help there? I'd have been done and sleeping by now if I were the one doing this."

"No comment from the peanut gallery!"

"After all, _I_ am the one who can expertly climb trees."

"Shut up, otherwise I am not getting shit for you, you ungrateful Human!"

Jean opens his mouth and lifts a finger up, pointing it in Eren's general direction, but stops and growls when he realizes he has no witty retort. Instead, he settles on gritting his teeth and clenching his fists as he angrily watches him. He does, however, repeat Eren's words in his head, especially the emphasis he placed on "Human".

"So, what Elemental are you anyway? You've been awfully mysterious about that."

"You never asked so I had no reason to bring it up."

Jean throws his arms up, letting them land on his thighs before pulling them up and crossing them over his chest. His patience with him has constantly dwindled the longer the day went on.

"You are really fucking pissing m—"

"Check your goddamn stones and tell me what the red one makes you think of! Ever wonder why it seems warm to you?" Eren shouts, struggling with a branch as he grabs a fistful of the leaves. Jean huffs before quickly sliding his hand into his pocket, reaching for the stone and holding it tight in his hand, the warmth ridding the numbness away from his fingers.

"Fire. You're a Fire?"

Eren hops down to the ground with an armful of the pine leaves. "Bingo," he states, spreading the leaves down onto cold ground and arranging them to make a crude bed around a tight circle of rocks. "If you want more leaves for your bed, then you can go get them yourself. I'm tired."

"Tch, some host you are," Jean mutters, pushing himself off from the tree. He bends down onto the makeshift bed, groaning from the soreness of his joints and limbs and sighing in relief as he's finally off his feet. Reaching his arms up in the air, he stretches carefully, making pained faces the longer he holds himself in place, and lets out small whimpers when his shoulders pop and his back cracks.

As Jean rubs the back of his neck with his hand, his stomach growls loudly and he reaches for his gut when a new wave of hunger pains ripples through him. He peeks up quickly at Eren, cringing at how loud his stomach decided to protest, but thanks any deity out there that Eren wasn't paying attention; instead, he's digging out a shallow pit inside the rock formation, placing various scraps of wood and bark into it.

"H-Hey, you got food, right?"

"Nope. We didn't catch anything today, so we don't eat."

"You had plenty of time to catch some food!"

"So did _you_! You're more than welcome to hunt for food, especially since you ruined one of my traps!"

"For fuck's sa—" As Jean gears up to shout at Eren once more, Eren places the palms of his hands on the crude pile of wood and sets it ablaze, causing Jean to tumble backwards away from the bright flame. Without missing a beat, Eren throws his head back, laughing at Jean's strong reaction to his fire.

"What are you so scared for? I just made sure that you won't freeze your ass off tonight."

Jean keeps a safe distance from the fire, fearing that Eren could leap up at any time and burn _him_. He stares with wide golden eyes that shine brightly from the light. His hands clutch the ground desperately, digging his fingers into the dead leaves and hard soil. Eren peers at him curiously after his fit of laughter, inching closer and outreaching his hand to his scared companion.

"Hey? What's wr—

"Don't fucking touch me!"

"Jean, I'm not go—"

"S-Stay over there! D-Don't come near me w-with that!"

"Shut up and _look_!" Eren's voice booms, silencing all sound around them as well as keeping Jean in his place, who's staring in horror. "I will _not_ hurt you, okay? Now I want you to just relax and watch me." He extends both hands in front of him slowly, mindful of Jean's panicked state. Turning them over, he shows his palms. Jean notices a small lining of darkened, burned skin just around his wrists, where the bracers don't cover.

After a short pause of letting Jean relax in his presence, Eren keeps his body steady but relaxed and ignites a flame that fits comfortably in his hands, lighting his and Jean's faces with the bright yellow and orange hues. Jean gasps and jumps at the sight but doesn't react as strongly as he did before. The flame is controlled in Eren's hands and warmth radiates from it as it normally would, calming Jean down ever so slightly.

"See? It's okay; I can control this. I am a Fire, after all," Eren whispers soothingly.

"D-Does it hurt? Like at all?" Jean stammers.

"No, not really. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm pretty warm. I can't get burned or hurt by any sort of fire," Eren explains calmly, holding the fire steady. "Well, I can't exactly just throw myself into some lava and be okay, but…it's fine. There's actually a very tiny gap in between my skin and this fire. I promise, it's safe."

"Can I touch it?"

Eren chuckles. "You can but it'll burn you like a bitch. It's still actual fire, it's nothing fake."

A small smile creeps on Jean's face, feeling at ease with Eren's calm, joking demeanor. He relaxes his tense muscles and shifts closer to the warm fire that Eren set for them. Eren extinguishes the fire in his hands, making it disappear as fast as it had appeared.

"Haha, yeah, I guess that was kind of a stupid thing to say."

"It's all right."

Jean sits more comfortably on the bed of leaves, bringing his knees up to his chest and wincing at the slight pain of the movement. He rests his head on top of his knees as he watches Eren settle down on the bed of leaves opposite of him. He lets out a breathy sigh and yawns, stretching his arms above his head in the process. Jean hears a few bones crack and, before he knows it, is yawning with him out of reflex.

"Dammit, look what you made me do."

"Wha? Oh sorry, can't help it, y'know," Eren mumbles, shrugging his shoulders.

They sit in silence for awhile, just watching the flames and occasionally glancing at each other, Jean more so than Eren. The forest is quiet except for the crackling of the flames and the screeching of the crickets near by. Jean looks up immediately when he hears an owl off in the distance but sees nothing through the thick, dark trees.

He lets himself fall over on the remaining leaves, hating how uncomfortable and rough they are, but decides not to complain any further. There's no point in irritating Eren any further tonight, especially since he finally seems to be in a good mood.

"I hope you're easy to get up because we're leaving _very early_ tomorrow."

Jean groans loudly, not bothering to give him an actual reply. He rolls onto his back, sprawling out over the ground and shielding his eyes with his arms. He's exhausted and beat from such a long day of insults and hiking through the forest, yet he can't bring himself to fall asleep quick enough. He can't even tell if Eren is still watching him or not until he hears the leaves rustle under his weight. Peeking to the side from his arms, he sees that Eren has lied down with his back facing him.

The fire is still going strong as the two drift off into a dreamless, restless sleep.

* * *

"How much longer until we get there? We've been fucking walking since the ass crack of dawn."

"If you don't shut that fucking mouth of yours any time soon, we won't be there by the end of the day. Jesus, do all Humans complain like this or are you just some lazy asshole?"

Jean lets out a frustrated sigh, wobbling just a few feet behind Eren and sweating from the exertion despite the cool April weather. A week has passed since he's met his new friend and not much has honestly changed between them yet. Eren remains silent most of the time until Jean asks a question or if he wants to bark orders at him. At least they managed to get something to eat earlier in the day, so hunger isn't an issue for him.

"At least we're out of the fucking forest, finally. Didn't you say the village is just past these plains?"

"Idiot, the forest is safer than being out here _and_ there's more food out there. We're open game for anything to jump out at us; we're at the mercy of anyone who decides to attack." Eren glances behind him, clenching his fists. Jean gives him the finger before turning his gaze to something more pleasant to look at. In the back of his mind, he can't believe that it took almost a week to get out of that forest. Was it really that huge?

"What kind of village are we going to anyway? Aren't you Oth- Elementals separated by your types or something?"

With a small sigh, Eren responds, "Yes and no. Villages like Karanes, the one we're heading to now, are often peaceful and act as like liaisons and trading grounds. Cultures mix and it's a place where everyone can be themselves and embrace other lifestyles without the fear of assimilation. Now…" his voice trails off as he thinks of how to explain this. "Our Elemental settlements are little different in that you have to conform to how everything works in that particular area. It's really segregated and the majority has complete control over you."

Jean frowns, realizing the similarities between his home and Eren's world. "That doesn't sound too much different from my own place."

"Huh? Really?" Eren stops in his place, eyeing Jean curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"Yeah, uh, my dad's the mayor and he's actually working to change shit like that, y'know. All the men before him kinda made it so people with lighter skin had more opportunities than ones with darker skin. Like, it's insane how much shit they can get away with in our town but the second someone dark does anything, they're instantly labeled as a criminal."

Eren raises an eyebrow, both intrigued and disgusted by Jean's explanation.

"Humans literally judge their own kind by their skin color? Your worth is determined by that?"

"Y-Yeah, it's really somethin' else, ain't it? B-But hey, you just said Elementals basically do the same thing with what, their powers?"

"Jean, our powers can mean the actual life or death of some people." Eren pauses, clearly bothered by the conversation. Jean shuffles his feet around, wondering what else to say and thinking that Elementals aren't much different from Humans after all. Other than their abilities, of course.

Eren speaks up again. "So if you're the mayor's son, I'm sure you've gotten away with a lot of things."

"More shit than I should have ever gotten away with. I only started noticing this when my friend Connie would get in trouble for the smallest things. Fuckin' bastards were always watching him closely because he was much darker than me."

"Humans are scum, yet all of you are revered in our world."

"W-What? Really? It's pretty opposite for us, I mean, about you all."

Eren eyes him carefully. "Yeah, I can tell. Come on, we've wasted enough time here." He gestures with his head toward the direction they were originally traveling. Jean nods eagerly, walking side by side with his travel companion.

Silence between them is nothing new, especially since they're worlds apart and so different to one another. Jean tries to find it in himself to be curious about Eren, which in some ways he truly is, but he would rather have information on where they're going and where Armin is. He's already milked all that he could on how Eren knew Armin. Not much was said other than Armin frequently snuck out of Trost to spend time with him and another child Eren lived with, whose name is Mikasa.

When Jean asks about Mikasa as they walk through the tall grass, he blushes from Eren's description of her. Eren frowns and squints at Jean before attempting to trip him to get him out of his daze.

"Just give it up. You're not her type; you're too whiny and make a lot of unnecessary noise," Eren scoffs, waving his hand dismissively towards him.

"Hey, I'm pretty lucky at the dating game. I bet once she sees how handsome I truly am, she'll come around to me," Jean says, posing with a sly smirk and an air of haughtiness around him. Eren stares blankly at him before letting out a loud, raucous laugh. He doubles over, grasping his knees and chortling at Jean's expense.

"What the fuck, you're literally a pasty beanpole. You've got absolutely _nothing_ to offer her." He gestures to Jean with an outstretched hand, moving it up and down. Jean frowns, furrowing his brows immediately, and glares at Eren.

"I'll kick your ass any day."

"Fight me, beanstalk."

Jean growls and clenches his fists tightly. Eren responds similarly and returns the glare with his fiery green eyes. Their staring match lasts only for a few moments until Jean is the one to break it, clicking his tongue and looking off to the side.

"Let's just hurry up. I'll kick your fucking ass when we get somewhere warm."

"I'd love to punch that long face of yours again. I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

It's nighttime once the duo reach the village of Karanes and Jean stumbles close to Eren. His body is exhausted from head to toe and he doesn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep this up. He's instantly jealous at Eren, who seemingly has an unlimited supply of stamina as he hasn't faltered at all. Jean noticed that he had started walking a bit slower than usual, though.

As they walk, Jean holds himself tight, shivering from the damp night air and the chilling breeze that constantly blows through. He huddles close to Eren, hoping to mooch off of some of Eren's external heat. Having a Fire as a travel companion is much more convenient than he originally thought. And Eren doesn't seem to mind.

The village is completely deserted and only illuminated by the street lamps above, glowing their brilliant hues of yellow and white onto the darkened cobblestone roads. Jean immediately takes note of how much more advanced it is here than in Trost. Trost's roads were mainly dirt ones and were only lit up by a simple flame lamps that were scattered around in front of people's doors. The only place in all of Trost that had electricity was his own house and he's surprised to see that electricity is common even outside of the Human territories.

With all the sightseeing, Jean doesn't realize Eren stops in place until he bumps right into him. The shock of running into him as well as the extreme temperature of his skin causes him to squeak and wobble backwards.

"We're here."

"Where exactly is here? And why the fuck didn't you warn me that you were gonna stop?"

"Look, dumbass, we're at the inn. Hurry inside and stop wasting my time unless you really wanna sit out here and freeze to death."

Jean is the first through the large doors.

Once inside, Eren immediately walks over to the front desk, which is currently occupied by an exhausted and boring receptionist. Jean doesn't pay attention as he relishes in the warmth of the building and even goes as far as to ignore the old mothball smell of the lobby.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?" the receptionist asks in a dull, monotonous tone.

Eren ignores the apathy and responds, "We just need a room for the night, preferably one with two beds."

"Sorry, we've only got single bedrooms available at this time. If only you had gotten here a day ago or so, you would've gotten it. There's a big festival in town in a few days."

Maintaining a straight face, Eren slowly brings his hands up to his face, slightly widening his eyes as the receptionist's words sink in. Jean sidles up next to him and looks between the two in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Your friend is having a crisis."

"Just…just give us the room," Eren replies quickly, dragging his hands down his face and reaching in his pocket for his gold coins. Jean snickers at the tiny pouch, noting how Elementals still use metal currency while the Humans use only paper money.

Eren pays for the room immediately, not bothering to collect the leftover change, and grabs the key to the room and rushes off completely red-faced. Jean struggles to keep up with him.

"'Ey, what was wrong back there?"

Eren shakily unlocks the door and lets the door open slowly, creaking slightly. "_That__'__s_ what's wrong." He points to the dark room with only one bed towards the other end.

Jean throws his arms up and walks away. "Bye. I'm sleeping in the lobby."

"Get back here."

"No! I'm not dealing with that shit, _nope_."

"You're going to wake up the other people."

"Look at my face," Jean instructs. "Does it look like I give two fucks?"

Eren stomps over to Jean, grabbing him by the sleeve of his shirt and pulling him inside the dark room. Jean stumbles, almost falling over completely as Eren turns on the light switch to the room, fully illuminating it. The room is simple with a small bed on the opposite wall, an old, wooden dresser in the back corner, one window, and a green armchair closest to the door.

Jean frowns, knowing immediately that he'll have to fight Eren for the bed and he's not looking forward to it. Before he can speak up, however, he catches something in the corner of his eye and smiles at the sight before him. To his immediate right is an open door leading to a clean and well-kept bathroom. He starts laughing, absolutely elated by this, and walks in, turning the light on to get a better look.

"Eren! Eren, look! It's a bathtub! A fucking bathtub!"

"A-Aha, yeah, it certainly is," Eren mumbles nervously.

"I can finally get out of these disgusting clothes and bathe and it's going to be fucking amazing! I'm not going to have that gross forest smell like you do!" Jean shouts from the bathroom, turning the knobs quickly in the tub, letting the water rush out against the porcelain. As the tub fills up, Jean hurries out of the room excitedly, smiling at Eren, who's gone to hover around the armchair in the corner of the room. "Do you wanna go look at it? It's wonderful, _clean_ water."

"N-No, no, I'm good."

"Oh, come on!"

"Jean, _please_," Eren almost begs, wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm sure it's g-great, okay, but you should hurry up and get back in there."

Jean notices the sudden change in Eren's demeanor, seeing a quick flash of fear spark through his eyes. Eren falls silent and he just shrugs, brushing it off and smiling again as he turns towards his hot bath.

* * *

After a significantly long time, Jean finally emerges from the bathroom, appearing much more relaxed and calm. He drapes a white towel around his neck after drying the top of his hair and yawns. Eren watches him carefully from his spot on the armchair.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

Jean jumps from Eren suddenly speaking, especially since he's not even looking up at him. "U-Uh, yeah it was great. Well, until I realized I have these huge-ass blisters on the bottoms of my feet." He winces just thinking about them, taking care to avoid standing directly on the blisters.

"I told you to keep your feet dry while we were back in the forest," Eren mumbles as he inspects his own feet and massages them. He finally looks up at Jean and gestures with his head towards the bed. "You can sleep there if you want; I'll take the chair tonight."

"W-Wait, what? Seriously?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

Jean blinks in disbelief a few times before hurrying over to the made bed on the other side of the room, just in case Eren changes his mind. He's being awfully considerate tonight. The bed creaks slightly as Jean settles down into it, groaning contently as his sore muscles finally know peace from a week's worth of non-stop hiking. He sprawls out all over the top of the bed, not bothering to snuggle under the sheets. Jean closes his eyes, allowing his back to settle before making any more movements.

"Do they sting?"

"Huh? What ar— Oh! The blisters…uh, yeah, they hurt pretty bad."

Eren remains silent for a few moments, eyes gazing outside into the quiet, dark world. He idly twiddles his thumbs before bending over and reaching for his supply bag.

"I can help you with that, if you want. I'm sure you really don't know how to handle blisters."

Jean groans, wanting to flash Eren some sort of look before the words register in his head. Eren actually wants to help him? What on earth has gotten into him tonight? Neither of them make any attempt to move until Jean peeks at him through squinted eyes.

"All right…what needs to be done?"

"Are you wet?"

Jean sits up immediately from Eren's awkward question and he just stares at him. "What the fuck?"

"No, ugh," Eren sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose from his poor choice of words. "I mean, are you still wet from your bath?

"Nooo, I'm pretty dry."

"Okay, good." Eren stands up, bringing his bag to the bed and sitting in front of Jean. He searches through it for a minute as Jean watches him curiously. Pulling out a small bundle of cloth, Eren unwraps it to reveal a shiny and clean needle. Jean gulps at the sight of it as Eren lifts it up and reaches for his right foot. He pulls it away instinctively, ignoring the pain on the bottom.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"You don't want those to get worse, do you? Look!" Eren grabs his foot despite the resistance. He points to the large, swollen blisters and says, "You've got to pop them before you get an infection and so you're not stepping on all of them. Popping them from walking will hurt like hell."

Jean tries to wriggle his foot away but to no avail. In fact, the struggling only causes Eren to tighten his grasp on him, tickling him. He bites his lip, trying to ignore the unbearable sensation of Eren's hand on his foot, and pulls back hard.

"I can't put the needle in if you keep fucking thrashing about like this!"

"Would you just fucking let go of my foot and leave it alone!?"

Eren hops onto the bed, sitting firmly on Jean's shins, pinning him down and restraining his movements. Jean clutches the bed sheets, shuts his eyes, and braces for what's to come. Eren holds him completely still, hovering over his foot to get a better view, and holds the needle steadily between his fingers.

Within a few seconds, Eren finishes poking a few holes in the ends of the blisters and wipes away the fluid that's oozing out with a clean cloth. He moves to Jean's other foot and repeats the process as Jean grasps at the bed sheets tighter in pure agony. To his surprise, however, he feels no pain at all.

The entire process is over in just a few minutes and Eren hops off of Jean's legs, shifting to his original place on the edge of the bed. He holds the needle over his index finger and ignites a flame, sterilizing it for the next use.

As he's done and rolling it back into the cloth, he speaks up. "Leave your feet alone for now and before you start walking tomorrow, just put some bandages on them."

Jean crosses his legs immediately and inspects his feet, making a face at the deflated blisters. He starts picking at the loose, white skin but Eren stops him quickly.

"Don't! Don't mess with that, otherwise you'll just fuck yourself over!"

Jean puts his hands up, shocked by such a sudden demand. He reclines back on the pillows and shifts his gaze to a random spot on the carpeted floor, ignoring his feet. Eren does the same, sitting awkwardly on the opposite end of the bed, and twiddles his thumbs.

Another moment of silence.

"Uh, thanks."

"Yeah."

"How'd you know all about that stuff anyway?"

"Oh, uh, I'm used to them and so is Armin. He'd get them a lot when we'd go out in the forest for a bit." Eren falls silent, taking a deep breath and responding with, "My mom showed me how." He hops off of the bed quickly after finishing his sentence and wanders back to the armchair. He curls up on the chair, lying his side against the back of it while dangling his legs over the arms.

"You sure you'll be fine over there? I can always sleep on the floor…"

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, you've been complaining about not having a bed for over a week, so maybe you'll shut up now," Eren mutters jokingly with a smirk on his face. "Just, uh, just don't forget to wrap your feet up before walking, though."

Jean repeats the lip movements mockingly and finally lies down in bed, bringing the covers over him. He sighs contently, enjoying the comfort and warmth the bed brings him after sleeping on leaves for the longest time. Closing his eyes, Jean drifts off to sleep almost immediately, sleeping soundly for the first time.

* * *

It's mid-afternoon and the sun is blaring through the window of the small room that Eren and Jean shared together. Jean shifts around on the bed, snoring and drooling onto the pillow as his body is sprawled out over it. His leg is dangling off the side and he's so close to slipping right off if he's not careful.

Within a few moments, Jean regains consciousness from his long slumber and lifts his head from the soaked pillow, peering around through squinted eyes. His hair is a mess and he feels like he's been hit by a carriage instead of feeling rejuvenated. Sitting up, he stretches his arms over his head and scratches the back of his head, wincing from the sudden throbbing behind his eyes. Jean runs his hands over his face and groans, throwing the covers off and swinging his legs over the side.

"Argh, I finally get a good night's sleep and I wake up to a fucking headache? And on my birthday no less…" Massaging his temples to alleviate some of the pain, Jean looks up to see an empty room. "Hey, Eren! Eren!" There's no response. "Where the fuck is he?"

He stands from the bed, cursing from the sensitivity of the bottom of his feet. Jean vaguely remembers something Eren told him last night, something about wrapping them. Looking around quickly, but doing so cautiously as to not worsen his headache, Jean sees a roll of bandages on the chair Eren previously occupied.

"Where the fuck did that little bastard go?" Jean asks, retrieving the bandages for himself. "No fucking note, no waking my ass up." He wraps the bandages around his feet as he sits in the chair, muttering to himself about the proper etiquette of communication and how Eren completely failed at it.

Suddenly, a thought crosses his mind. A nasty thought.

"Eren wouldn't have…left me here, would he?" Jean's breathing stops before going shallow. He lets his mind become overrun with anxiety and thoughts of Eren just getting up and leaving him in this village, leaving him to fend for himself. It's too late to get back home; there's no way he could make another week's trek through the forest without any supplies of his own.

Jean's hands clench the bandages tightly as he grits his teeth, his vision going red from his racing thoughts about his shady travel companion. As soon as he's finished, he hastily puts on his boots, as he wore the remainder of his clothing to bed, and rushes out of the room in search of Eren.

He stomps through the village, brows furrowed and lips curled down in a vicious scowl, keeping his eyes out for his shirtless friend; that is, if he's still in the village at all. The village is loud and crowds are common on the streets from the side shops selling anything and everything they can. The air is filled with the scent of all kinds of foods, such as grilled meats, fish, and baked goods. Jean would stop to enjoy all of this if he wasn't so upset.

As he stomps through the heart of the town, he can't help but overhear some alarming news. A few women are gathered together in a loose circle, speaking in intrigued, yet careful voices. Jean stands close by in order to eavesdrop on them.

"I think I heard some of the guards saying that _Humans_ would be coming through today!"

"What? Like those Human messengers?"

"Yeah! I think they're passing on through to look for something. My, I hope they can stay for awhile; it's always a pleasure having them stop by."

Jean remains frozen in place as he listens, completely ignoring the hustle and bustle of life behind him. A cold sheen of sweat forms on his brow as he trembles, knowing exactly _who_ is looking for him.

"E-Erwin," he whispers fearfully.

Slowly he begins to move his legs, almost forcing himself to do so. He _has_ to find Eren; his life and adventure depend on it. He rushes through the crowds once more, actively listening for any signs of horses or something that would let him know of Erwin's arrival. As Jean runs, he doesn't see Eren until it's almost too late and knocks into a couple of people. He mutters an apology and rushes back to Eren, grabbing him fiercely by the shoulders.

"Jean!"

"Eren! W-Where the fuck did you run off to?! Was this all a plan to get me caught?"

Eren raises his eyebrow in genuine confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you fucking do! You _left me_! You _knew_ Erwin and the rest of the messengers were coming to this village to get me!"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. What? I just came to town to get some more supplies before we headed out later today. Your ass wouldn't wake up no matter how hard I tried, so I left you alone."

A few onlookers watch the scene before them, curious as to what to what they're talking about and Jean's identity. His clothing is much different and unfamiliar to them than their casual robes. Eren notices them watching and throws Jean's hands off of him.

"You should have tried harder."

"Fine! Do you want to leave right now? I'll be more than happy to do so!" Eren growls, glaring at Jean, noticeably frustrated from Jean's sudden accusations. "I'd rather not make a fucking scene in front of all these pe—"

"Listen!" Jean yells, pushing Eren back against a stone wall, pinning him there. The anger on his face is just a mask, hiding the fear of what's to come behind his golden eyes. Eren watches him closely, tense and ready to fight back if needed. "You don't understand! _Erwin_ is coming _here_!"

"Who the fuck is Erwin?"

"M-My guardian! He's the commander of the messengers a-and I heard people s-saying that s-some of them would be coming by! He's searching for me!" Jean whispers frantically, watching the people from the corner of his eye so they won't know who he really is.

Eren places his hands on Jean's shoulders, pushing him off of him and keeping him in place. "Okay, we need to figure something out. If they're going to pass by, than we can just hide here."

"But what if they stop and actually look around? We'll definitely get caught."

"We can't just run out into the wilderness and then come back once they're out. People will get suspicious, even more so than they are right now. Let's go back to the inn and stay put."

Jean takes a deep breath, considering both options carefully, and finally nods. "All right, let's go."

"They're here! Everyone make way for the Humans!"

The color drains from both Jean and Eren's faces at the excited calling of a villager. The people around them cheer and gather together as if a glorious parade were to take place. Jean's fingers tremble and dig into Eren's skin, frozen in place as his mind races for the best course of action. He looks to his right, noticing an isolated alley with barrels and crates to hide behind. Grabbing Eren's arm firmly, he drags him to the alley, making sure no one is paying attention to them, and hides them both behind a large stack of wooden barrels.

His breathing is shallow as he tries to calm himself down but the fear and anxiety of being taken home is all too much for Jean. His hand is clasped tightly around Eren's forearm, refusing to let go as they wait. Eren watches Jean curiously, concern written on his face.

Through the cheering, they can hear the faint sound of hooves pounding against cobblestone getting closer and closer. Eren brings his hand over Jean's, holding it tight, trying to stop him from shaking so hard as the group approaches them. Many of the villagers cheer and shout for the Humans to stop and relax. Some ask what the Humans are doing with elated curiosity.

The horses stop just before the alley and Jean and Eren can hear their voices as clear as day.

"Have their been any travelers passing by within the past few days? Especially a young, teenage boy?" The crowd goes silent.

Jean bites his lip and closes his eyes, silently whispering to Eren that Erwin is _right there_. Muttering can be heard from the people but none of them seem too sure about the matter. All is safe for now.

"He's gonna get me. He's gonna get me," Jean repeats over and over under his breath. Eren holds his hand and rubs its soothingly, telling Jean to just focus on breathing instead of worrying about what's on the other side.

"Jean, horses can't even fit through here. I doubt he'll get off of it and personally look here."

Eren peeks out from the side of the barrels and Jean desperately tries to drag him back but to no avail.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

"I just wanna look." Eren keeps a firm grasp on Jean's shaky hand. They both hear the horses move even closer to the opening of the alley, and Eren catches a glimpse of a white horse and the man riding on top. Jean peeks his head over as well, flinching when he sees the same thing.

Erwin is mounted gracefully atop the white horse and he surveys what's ahead of him, thankfully not looking down the dark alley. He thanks the villagers for their cooperation and relays that they must leave immediately in order to find whom they are looking for. However, before galloping off, Erwin takes one more look around the town before laying his eyes on the alley. Jean ducks behind the barrel once more but Eren continues to peek over, despite Jean's frantic commands.

Eren looks in awe, almost fearfully, at the tall, majestic man clad in a strange uniform and a green cape. They lock eyes and Erwin looks at him curiously for a few moments. It's tense and quiet and Jean's almost in a state of utter panic until he hears Erwin command his men to move forward. A cacophony of hooves meeting the cobblestone is all Jean can hear and he feels instantly relieved that he just survived the most dangerous event of his life.

He rests his back against the stone wall, panting hard and clutching at his rapidly beating heart. His other hand stays snug in Eren's dark, warm hands. Jean relaxes and looks at Eren, completely in disbelief that he went out and _looked_ at them.

"You almost got us caught."

"He didn't even do anything."

Jean finally withdraws his hand from Eren's, cradling his head in his hands and sighing deeply. "This is the worst fucking birthday in the world. I woke up late, got a headache, thought you fucking abandoned me, and now my guardian is on my ass."

"Huh? It's your birthday? How old are you?"

"Finally fucking eighteen."

Eren blinks at Jean in disbelief before letting out a loud laugh. He rolls backwards onto the cool ground, holding his gut. Jean stares in utter confusion, furrowing his brows and barking at Eren, "What? What's so funny?"

"All this time I thought you were like fucking twenty five or something. I didn't know you were seventeen! You look so old and rugged, it's insane!"

Jean grits his teeth. "Well, look at you! You look like you're twelve!"

Eren laughs harder at Jean's pitiful retort. "I'm eighteen myself." He gets up after calming down from his laughing fit, wipes himself off, and holds out his hand to help Jean up. Jean takes it, grumbling all the while, and keeps his gaze averted.

Jean kicks his feet around before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks, though. For, uh, helping me get away."

Eren offers him a genuine smile, patting him roughly on the shoulders. "Yeah, it's whatever. Since today was pretty stressful, I guess we can just stay back for one more day. We'll leave early tomorrow, so make sure you fucking sleep at a reasonable time."

Jean smirks. "I'll try."

"Aaaand," Eren draws out. "Since I'm feeling nice, I'll treat you for your birthday. You could use your own supply bag and your own shit…and maybe some new clothes. Yours are disgusting and too thin to handle the outdoors."

"Wait, what the fuck? You're actually gonna do all that?"

"Just this once." Eren holds on finger up quickly before turning to leave their hiding spot. "So hurry up before I change my mind," he finishes with a smile on his face.

* * *

The next morning, while the sky is still pitch black and the streets quiet from those in deep slumber, Jean and Eren rise early and pack up to set out for the rest of the way to the Water Settlement.

Despite their obvious differences and hot heads, Jean thinks that he'll get used to Eren. Even a little bit. He's proven to Jean that he can be trusted and really won't leave him behind.

They walk out of the inn, steps synchronized in an energetic stride as they keep their heads up and sights on the path ahead.


End file.
